Dust destruction by the supernova remnant forward shock in a turbulent interstellar medium

TL;DR

This study uses 3D simulations to estimate dust destruction by supernova remnant shocks in turbulent interstellar media, finding significant dust destruction that varies with density and turbulence, and suggesting SNRs are generally net dust destroyers.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed 3D MHD simulations quantifying dust destruction efficiency of SNR shocks in turbulent ISM conditions, including effects of filaments and grain types.

Findings

Dust destruction varies between 27-92% depending on density and turbulence.

Carbonaceous grains are more resilient than silicates.

Filaments partially shield dust but do not prevent significant destruction.

Abstract

Context. While supernova remnants (SNRs) are observed to produce up to 1 M$_\odot$ of dust, the amount of dust destroyed by the forward shock (FS) is poorly constrained, raising the question whether they are net dust producers or destroyers. Aims. We aim to estimate the dust destruction efficiency of SNR FSs in a realistically turbulent interstellar medium (ISM) during their most destructive phase, and assess dust shielding by high density filaments during this period. Methods. We run 3D turbulence simulations for different turbulent Mach numbers (0-3) and average ISM densities (1-100 cm$^{-3}$) to resemble observations of the turbulent ISM. We then set off a supernova to trace its 3D magnetohydrodynamical evolution for 10 kyr. Finally, we run post-processing simulations to study the dust transport and destruction by the SNR FS, considering gas and plasma drag, kinetic and thermal sputtering, and grain-grain collisions, and either silicate or carbonaceous dust. Results. The dust destruction rate of the FS strongly depends on the average ISM density and turbulence strength, varying between 27-92% (0.85-11.0 M$_\odot$) in the studied 10 kyr. Overall, dust is less efficiently destroyed in a low density medium (1 cm$^{-3}$, 27-57%) than in intermediate (10 cm$^{-3}$, 46-92%) and high densities (100 cm$^{-3}$, 73-87%). The FS destroys 8-34% less dust in high Mach turbulence compared to a homogeneous medium. Furthermore, carbonaceous grains are more robust (up to 21% more) than silicates. Conclusions. Filaments can partly shield dust from destruction in the first 10 kyr, however, always more than 0.85 M$_\odot$ of dust is destroyed, making most SNRs dust sinks under the conditions explored in this work. The destruction efficiency of the SNRs with less than 1 M$_\odot$ of destroyed dust has not yet plateaued so that they are most likely also net dust destroyers by the end of their lifetime.