The External Heating of Dust in a Homogeneous Spherical Shell

TL;DR

This paper introduces a method to calculate dust heating and infrared emission in spherical shells and other environments, aiding understanding of dust behavior in astrophysical phenomena like supernovae and circumstellar media.

Contribution

It provides a new procedure for modeling dust heating and IR emission in spherical shells and various astrophysical contexts, enhancing analysis of dust in space.

Findings

Applicable to supernova ejecta and circumstellar dust

Models dust heating and IR emission in different environments

Useful for analyzing dust in astrophysical phenomena

Abstract

We present a procedure for calculating the heating of, and the infrared emission from, dust in a homogeneous spherical shell surrounded by a spherically symmetric source of radiation. The results are applicable to newly formed dust either in supernova ejecta or in the circumstellar medium that has been swept up by the expanding shock wave. They can also be applied to the heating and IR emission from dust in clumps or clouds embedded in a homogeneous radiation field.