The search for failed supernovae with the Large BinocularTelescope: The Mid-IR Counterpart to N6946-BH1

TL;DR

This study uses JWST and HST observations to investigate a candidate failed supernova, revealing a dusty, faint source with properties consistent with dust formed in a failed supernova, and predicts future near-IR visibility.

Contribution

First multi-wavelength observational analysis of a failed supernova candidate combining JWST, HST, and LBT data to characterize dust properties and luminosity evolution.

Findings

Detected a very red, dusty source at the candidate's location.

Source has only 10-15% of the progenitor's luminosity.

Dust likely composed of large silicate grains with modest optical depths.

Abstract

We present JWST MIRI 5.6, 10 and 21 micron observations of the candidate failed supernova N6946-BH1 along with HST WFPC/IR 1.1 and 1.6 micron data and ongoing optical monitoring data with the LBT. There is a very red, dusty source at the location of the candidate which has only ~10-15% of the luminosity of the progenitor star. The source is very faint in the HST near-IR observations (~10^3 Lsun) and is not optically variable to a limit of ~10^3 Lsun at R-band. The dust is likely silicate and probably has to be dominated by very large grains as predicted for dust formed in a failed SN. The required visual optical depths are modest, so we should begin to have a direct view of the source in the near-IR in only a few years.