Interstellar and Ejecta Dust in the Cas A Supernova Remnant

Abstract

Infrared continuum observations provide a means of investigating the physical composition of the dust in the ejecta and swept up medium of the Cas A supernova remnant. Using low resolution Spitzer IRS spectra (5-35 $\mu$m), and broad-band Herschel PACS imaging (70, 100, and 160 $\mu$m), we identify characteristic dust spectra, associated with ejecta layers that underwent distinct nuclear burning histories. The most luminous spectrum exhibits strong emission features at $\sim 9$ and 21 $\mu$m and is closely associated with ejecta knots with strong Ar emission lines. The dust features can be reproduced by magnesium silicate grains with relatively low Mg to Si ratios. Another dust spectrum is associated with ejecta having strong Ne emission lines. It has no indication of any silicate features, and is best fit by Al${}_2$O${}_3$ dust. A third characteristic dust spectrum shows features that are best matched by magnesium silicates with a relatively high Mg to Si ratio. This dust is primarily associated with the X-ray emitting shocked ejecta, but it is also evident in regions where shocked interstellar or circumstellar material is expected. However, the identification of dust composition is not unique, and each spectrum includes an additional featureless dust component of unknown composition. Colder dust of indeterminate composition is associated with emission from the interior of the SNR, where the reverse shock has not yet swept up and heated the ejecta. Most of the dust mass in Cas A is associated with this unidentified cold component, which is $\lesssim 0.1$ $M_{\odot }$. The mass of warmer dust is only $\sim 0.04$ $M_{\odot }$.

arXiv comment45 pages. 21 Figures. Accepted for publication in ApJ

References in corpus (34)

• Herschel Space Observatory - An ESA facility for far-infrared and submillimetre astronomy
• The Photodetector Array Camera and Spectrometer (PACS) on the Herschel Space Observatory
• The Herschel-SPIRE instrument and its in-flight performance
• Infrared Emission from Interstellar Dust. IV. The Silicate-Graphite-PAH Model in the Post-Spitzer Era
• Infrared Emission from Interstellar Dust. II. The Diffuse Interstellar Medium
• New Interstellar Dust Models Consistent with Extinction, Emission, and Abundance Constraints
• Rosseland and Planck Mean Opacities for Protoplanetary Discs
• The Cassiopeia A Supernova was of Type IIB
• The Expansion Asymmetry and Age of the Cassiopeia A Supernova Remnant
• A Million-Second Chandra View of Cassiopeia A
• The Behavior of the Aromatic Features in M101 HII Regions: Evidence for Dust Processing
• Freshly Formed Dust in the Cassiopeia A Supernova Remnant as Revealed by the Spitzer Space Telescope
• A Herschel PACS and SPIRE study of the dust content of the Cassiopeia A supernova remnant
• The origin of dust in high redshift QSOs: the case of SDSS J1148+5251
• The chemistry of population III supernova ejecta: II - The nucleation of molecular clusters as a diagnostic for dust in the early universe
• The Origin of Dust in the Early Universe: Probing the Star Formation History of Galaxies by their Dust Content
• The carrier of the "30" micron emission feature in evolved stars. A simple model using magnesium sulfide
• Direct Confirmation of the Asymmetry of the Cas A Supernova with Light Echoes
• The inner wind of IRC+10216 revisited: New exotic chemistry and diagnostic for dust condensation in carbon stars
• Formation and Evolution of Dust in Type IIb Supernova with Application to the Cassiopeia A Supernova Remnant
• Dust in the diffuse interstellar medium: Extinction, emission, linear and circular polarisation
• Newly Synthesized Elements and Pristine Dust in the Cassiopeia A Supernova Remnant
• The Spectrum of the Diffuse Galactic Light I: The Milky Way in Scattered Light
• Near-infrared absorption properties of oxygen-rich stardust analogues: The influence of coloring metal ions
• Early Formation of Dust in the Ejecta of Type Ib SN 2006jc and Temperature and Mass of the Dust
• Spitzer Spectral Mapping of Supernova Remnant Cassiopeia A
• Spitzer IRAC Images and Sample Spectra of Cassiopeia A's Explosion
• AKARI and BLAST Observations of the Cassiopeia A Supernova Remnant and Surrounding Interstellar Medium
• The Three-Dimensional Structure of Interior Ejecta in Cassiopeia A at High Spectral Resolution
• The Density and Mass of Unshocked Ejecta in Cassiopeia A through Low Frequency Radio Absorption
• Molecules and dust in Cas A: I - Synthesis in the supernova phase and processing by the reverse shock in the clumpy remnant
• Optical data of meteoritic nano-diamonds from far-ultraviolet to far-infrared wavelengths
• Nucleosynthetic Layers in the Shocked Ejecta of Cassiopeia A
• On Silicon Carbide Grains as the Carrier of the 21 Micron Emission Feature in Post-Asymptotic Giant Branch Stars

Cited by in corpus (45)

• A stubbornly large mass of cold dust in the ejecta of Supernova 1987A
• The dust mass in Cassiopeia A from a spatially resolved Herschel analysis
• Destruction of Interstellar Dust in Evolving Supernova Remnant Shock Waves
• A Nearby Galaxy Perspective on Dust Evolution. Scaling relations and constraints on the dust build-up in galaxies with the DustPedia and DGS samples
• Iron: A Key Element for Understanding the Origin and Evolution of Interstellar Dust
• Dust grains from the heart of supernovae
• Dust Destruction by the Reverse Shock in the Cassiopeia A Supernova Remnant
• Dust survival rates in clumps passing through the Cas A reverse shock I: results for a range of clump densities
• Dust Destruction Rates and Lifetimes in the Magellanic Clouds
• A Massive Shell of Supernova-formed Dust in SNR G54.1+0.3
• Molecules and dust in Cassiopeia A: II - Dust sputtering and diagnosis of dust survival in supernova remnants
• The Dynamics, Destruction, and Survival of Supernova-Formed Dust Grains
• The Evolution of Dust Mass in the Ejecta of SN1987A
• Dust masses for SN 1980K, SN1993J and Cassiopeia A from red-blue emission line asymmetries
• A Dust Twin of Cas A: Cool Dust and 21-micron Silicate Dust Feature in the Supernova Remnant G54.1+0.3
• A JWST Survey of the Supernova Remnant Cassiopeia A
• Old supernova dust factory revealed at the Galactic center
• Emission lines due to ionizing radiation from a compact object in the remnant of Supernova 1987A
• The dust content of the Crab Nebula
• Maximally dusty star-forming galaxies: Supernova dust production and recycling in Local Group and high-redshift galaxies
• The mass, location and heating of the dust in the Cassiopeia A supernova remnant
• The Distance and the near-IR extinction of the Monoceros Supernova Remnant
• Dust masses for a large sample of core-collapse supernovae from optical emission line asymmetries: dust formation on 30-year timescales
• Element Abundances in the Unshocked Ejecta of Cassiopeia A
• Dust survival rates in clumps passing through the Cas A reverse shock -- II. The impact of magnetic fields
• Interaction between Cassiopeia A and Nearby Molecular Clouds
• The dust mass in Cassiopeia A from infrared and optical line flux differences
• A Deep Near-Infrared [Fe II]+[Si I] Emission Line Image of the Supernova Remnant Cassiopeia A
• Formation, distribution, and IR emission of dust in the clumpy ejecta of Type II-P core-collapse supernovae, in isotropic and anisotropic scenarios
• Dependence of Dust Formation on the Supernova Explosion
• Observational limits on the early-time dust mass in SN1987A
• Near-infrared Extinction due to Cool Supernova Dust in Cassiopeia A
• Infrared and X-ray study of the Galactic SNR G15.9+0.2
• Mid-infrared imaging of Supernova 1987A
• Rescued from oblivion: detailed analysis of archival {\it Spitzer} data of SN~1993J
• Infrared Observational Manifestations of Young Dusty Super Star Clusters
• Infrared Emission from Supernova Remnants: Formation and Destruction of Dust
• SOFIA/HAWC+ observations of the Crab Nebula: dust properties from polarised emission
• JWST Imaging of the Cartwheel Galaxy Reveals Dust Associated with SN 2021afdx
• Submillimeter Observations of CLASH 2882 and the Evolution of Dust in this Galaxy
• JWST/MIRI detects the dusty SN1993J about 30 years after explosion
• Titanium hidden in dust
• Argon X-ray absorption in the local ISM
• Production of heavy $\alpha$-elements and ${}^{44}$Ti in Cas A: comparison to abundances from 1D core-collapse supernova models and evidence for Carbon-Oxygen shell mergers
• Far-infrared Polarization of the Supernova Remnant Cassiopeia A with SOFIA HAWC+