Herschel Detects a Massive Dust Reservoir in Supernova 1987A

M. Matsuura; E. Dwek; M. Meixner; M. Otsuka; B. Babler; M. J. Barlow; J. Roman-Duval; C. Engelbracht; K. Sandstrom; M. Lakićević; J. Th. van Loon; G. Sonneborn; G. C. Clayton; K. S. Long; P. Lundqvist; T. Nozawa; K. D. Gordon; S. Hony; P. Panuzzo; K. Okumura; K. A. Misselt; E. Montiel; M. Sauvage

doi:10.1126/science.1205983

Research Article

Herschel Detects a Massive Dust Reservoir in Supernova 1987A

M. Matsuura¹,²,*,
E. Dwek³,
M. Meixner⁴,
M. Otsuka⁴,
B. Babler⁵,
M. J. Barlow¹,
J. Roman-Duval⁴,
C. Engelbracht⁶,
K. Sandstrom⁷,
M. Lakićević⁸,⁹,
J. Th. van Loon⁸,
G. Sonneborn³,
G. C. Clayton¹⁰,
K. S. Long⁴,
P. Lundqvist¹¹,
T. Nozawa¹²,
K. D. Gordon⁴,
S. Hony¹³,
P. Panuzzo¹³,
K. Okumura¹³,
K. A. Misselt⁶,
E. Montiel⁶,
M. Sauvage¹³

¹Astrophysics Group, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK.
²Mullard Space Science Laboratory, University College London, Holmbury St. Mary, Dorking, Surrey RH5 6NT, UK.
³Observational Cosmology Laboratory, Code 665, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA.
⁴Space Telescope Science Institute, 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA.
⁵Department of Astronomy, 475 North Charter St., University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA.
⁶Steward Observatory, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA.
⁷Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie, Königstuhl 17, D-69117 Heidelberg, Germany.
⁸Astrophysics Group, Lennard-Jones Laboratories, Keele University, ST5 5BG, UK.
⁹European Southern Observatory, Karl Schwarschild Straße 2, D-85748 Garching bei München, Germany.
¹⁰Louisiana State University, Department of Physics and Astronomy, 233-A Nicholson Hall, Tower Drive, Baton Rouge, LA 70803–4001, USA.
¹¹Department of Astronomy, The Oskar Klein Centre, AlbaNova University Center, Stockholm University, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden.
¹²Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe, University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8583, Japan.
¹³Commissariat à l’Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives, Laboratoire Astrophysique, Instrumentation et Modélisation, Irfu/SAp, Orme des Merisiers, F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette, France.

↵*To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: mikako{at}star.ucl.ac.uk

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Science 02 Sep 2011:
Vol. 333, Issue 6047, pp. 1258-1261
DOI: 10.1126/science.1205983

M. Matsuura

1Astrophysics Group, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK.

2Mullard Space Science Laboratory, University College London, Holmbury St. Mary, Dorking, Surrey RH5 6NT, UK.

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For correspondence: mikako@star.ucl.ac.uk

E. Dwek

3Observational Cosmology Laboratory, Code 665, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA.

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M. Meixner

4Space Telescope Science Institute, 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA.

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M. Otsuka

4Space Telescope Science Institute, 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA.

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B. Babler

5Department of Astronomy, 475 North Charter St., University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA.

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M. J. Barlow

1Astrophysics Group, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK.

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J. Roman-Duval

4Space Telescope Science Institute, 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA.

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C. Engelbracht

6Steward Observatory, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA.

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K. Sandstrom

7Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie, Königstuhl 17, D-69117 Heidelberg, Germany.

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M. Lakićević

8Astrophysics Group, Lennard-Jones Laboratories, Keele University, ST5 5BG, UK.

9European Southern Observatory, Karl Schwarschild Straße 2, D-85748 Garching bei München, Germany.

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J. Th. van Loon

8Astrophysics Group, Lennard-Jones Laboratories, Keele University, ST5 5BG, UK.

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G. Sonneborn

3Observational Cosmology Laboratory, Code 665, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA.

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G. C. Clayton

10Louisiana State University, Department of Physics and Astronomy, 233-A Nicholson Hall, Tower Drive, Baton Rouge, LA 70803–4001, USA.

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K. S. Long

4Space Telescope Science Institute, 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA.

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P. Lundqvist

11Department of Astronomy, The Oskar Klein Centre, AlbaNova University Center, Stockholm University, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden.

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T. Nozawa

12Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe, University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8583, Japan.

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K. D. Gordon

4Space Telescope Science Institute, 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA.

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S. Hony

13Commissariat à l’Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives, Laboratoire Astrophysique, Instrumentation et Modélisation, Irfu/SAp, Orme des Merisiers, F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette, France.

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P. Panuzzo

13Commissariat à l’Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives, Laboratoire Astrophysique, Instrumentation et Modélisation, Irfu/SAp, Orme des Merisiers, F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette, France.

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K. Okumura

13Commissariat à l’Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives, Laboratoire Astrophysique, Instrumentation et Modélisation, Irfu/SAp, Orme des Merisiers, F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette, France.

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K. A. Misselt

6Steward Observatory, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA.

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E. Montiel

6Steward Observatory, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA.

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M. Sauvage

13Commissariat à l’Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives, Laboratoire Astrophysique, Instrumentation et Modélisation, Irfu/SAp, Orme des Merisiers, F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette, France.

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Abstract

We report far-infrared and submillimeter observations of supernova 1987A, the star whose explosion was observed on 23 February 1987 in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a galaxy located 160,000 light years away. The observations reveal the presence of a population of cold dust grains radiating with a temperature of about 17 to 23 kelvin at a rate of about 220 times the luminosity of the Sun. The intensity and spectral energy distribution of the emission suggest a dust mass of about 0.4 to 0.7 times the mass of the Sun. The radiation must originate from the supernova ejecta and requires the efficient precipitation of all refractory material into dust. Our observations imply that supernovae can produce the large dust masses detected in young galaxies at very high redshifts.

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Herschel Detects a Massive Dust Reservoir in Supernova 1987A

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