Abstract

- Plenary

Thursday, 12 September 2024, 11:05   (Aula 1&2 / virtual plenum)

The JWST view of dusty supernova remnants

Ilse De Looze
Ghent University

The large reservoirs of dust observed in some high redshift galaxies have been hypothesised to originate from dust produced by supernovae originating from massive stars. Theoretical models predict that core-collapse supernovae (CCSN) can be efficient dust producers (0.1-1 Msun) potentially responsible for most of the dust production in the early Universe. Observational evidence for this dust production efficiency has been recently obtained in the local Universe through two independent methods. While dust is known to efficiently form in supernova ejecta, its eventual fate will depend on the processing by the supernova’s forward and reverse shocks. In this talk, I will review recent observational and numerical efforts that scrutinise supernova dust formation and destruction in supernova remnants. JWST has delivered a unique view on the small-scale distribution of ejecta material in supernova remnants. I will give an extensive overview of the latest JWST observations of Cassiopeia A, the Crab Nebula and SN1987A focusing on the distribution and properties of metals and dust in their supernova ejecta. Finally, I will talk about a enigmatic newly identified structure, dubbed the “Green Monster”, that dominates the mid-infrared emission observed with JWST in the central regions of Cassiopeia A. The detection of this dense circumstellar structure in the foreground of Cas A provides important information on the evolution of the progenitor star prior to the explosion.