Infrared Emission from Supernova Remnants: Formation and Destruction of Dust

TL;DR

This paper reviews observations and theories about dust formation and destruction in supernova remnants, highlighting uncertainties about the amount of dust produced and its survival, and questioning whether supernovae are net dust destroyers.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive review of dust emission observations in supernovae and remnants, and discusses the implications for cosmic dust budgets and supernova roles.

Findings

Supernovae may produce up to a solar mass of dust, but observations are limited.

Most observed dust in remnants is swept-up ISM dust, not newly formed.

Supernova shocks tend to destroy dust, raising questions about their net effect on cosmic dust.

Abstract

We review the observations of dust emission in supernova rem- nants (SNRs) and supernovae (SNe). Theoretical calculations suggest that SNe, particularly core-collapse, should make significant quantities of dust, perhaps as much as a solar mass. Observations of extragalactic SNe have yet to find anywhere near this amount, but this may be the result of observa- tional limitations. SN 1987A, in the process of transitioning from a SN to an SNR, does show signs of a significant amount of dust forming in its ejecta, but whether this dust will survive the passage of the reverse shock to be injected into the ISM is unknown. IR observations of SNRs have not turned up significant quantities of dust, and the dust that is observed is generally swept-up by the forward shock, rather than created in the ejecta. Because the shock waves also destroy dust in the ISM, we explore the question of whether SNe might be net destroyers, rather than net creators of dust in the universe.