Stochasticity in Stellar Yields Reflected in Theoretical Dust Masses Estimates Across all Type II Supernova Progenitors

TL;DR

This paper models the theoretical upper limits of dust production in core-collapse supernovae, highlighting the significant stochastic variability due to pre-explosion stellar processes and their impact on dust yields.

Contribution

It introduces a stochastic model for dust yields in CCSNe, accounting for pre-explosion nucleosynthesis uncertainties and progenitor mass effects, which was not previously quantified.

Findings

O-rich silicate dust dominates the dust budget.

Dust masses vary by a factor of 2-5 due to stochastic effects.

Progenitor mass influences the total dust mass and composition.

Abstract

Core-collapse supernovae (CCSNe) are among the primary sources of dust in galaxies. In this study, we derive theoretical upper limits on dust masses as a function of supernova (SN) progenitors with initial masses between 9 and 120 Msun, based on previously established models of dust formation chemistry in CCSNe. We find that O-rich dust, particularly silicates, dominates the dust budget, with masses ranging from 0.02 to 0.9 Msun, and that the total mass of O-rich dust increases with progenitor mass. C-rich amorphous carbon dust is significant for lower-mass progenitors (up to 15 Msun), but its mass never exceeds 0.05 Msun. For progenitors up to 30 Msun, we provide best-fit functions describing the masses of O-rich dust, C-rich dust, and CO molecules. A large stochastic variation is found in the predicted masses of silicate dust, which correlates with the randomness of shell-merger events in the pre-explosion phases of massive stars. Furthermore, we show that the dust mass for a given progenitor can vary by a factor of 2-5, reflecting differences in pre-explosion abundance profiles predicted by the stellar evolution codes KEPLER and MESA. We emphasize that the final dust yield in CCSNe is primarily determined by stochastic stellar yields and uncertainties in pre-explosion nucleosynthesis, while explosion properties mainly influence the timescales of dust formation.