Dust formation by supernovae and asymptotic giant branch stars
Lead Research Organisation:
Cardiff University
Department Name: School of Physics and Astronomy
Abstract
The main visible components of galaxies are stars and the interstellar medium (ISM). The ISM is filled with gas and dust, with dust taking only less than 1% of the total mass. Despite dust occupying such a small fraction of mass, its unique properties make it important for astronomy: dust can absorb and scatter star-light in ultra-violet and optical wavelengths and re-emit the absorbed energy in infrared and submillimetre wavelengths. This dust turns harmful UV photons to soft infrared and submillimetre light, thus protecting molecules, and providing a cradle for star formation. Empirically, it is known that galaxies that undergo extensive star-formation tend to be dusty, and emit more energy at infrared and submillimetre wavelengths. Yet, it is still unknown why these galaxies are so dusty in the first place.
To form dust, atoms such as carbon, silicon, oxygen and iron, need to meet with other atoms. Consecutive meeting and bonding of atoms makes dust grow, ending up with a dust grain composed of hundreds and thousands of refractory elements. The reaction is efficient where gas is reasonably hot and dense, and where many refractory elements are available. The surroundings of asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars, which are in the late stage of stellar evolution for 1-8 solar mass stars, provides an ideal place to make dust, as there is dense gas with some newly synthesised elements by the stars. Older textbooks usually describe the dust content of the ISM originating from AGB stars.
A decade of advances in observational astronomy has challenged this traditional description of dust origin. Many high-redshift galaxies, located deep in space and observed less than one billion years old after the big bang, have been found to be much dustier than expected if dust is produced by AGB stars only. Hence, there must be some other objects to make a lot of dust within these galaxies.
Theories have proposed that supernovae (SNe) can be an additional and significant dust source that makes galaxies dusty. SNe are the enormous explosion of massive stars at the end their lives, hence ejecting elements synthesised in stars into space. An explosion of SN 1987A was detected in the neighbouring galaxy, the Large Magellanic Cloud. The explosion was initially recorded in optical light, and neutrinos were also detected. Twenty-five years after I and colleagues found that the remnant of SN 1987A is filled with cold dust and molecules. Our observations with the Herschel Space Observatory and the Atacama Millemetre/submillemtre Array (ALMA) began to reveal that the supernova remnant has became cool, but is still dense enough for dust to form. The estimated mass of dust is about 0.5 solar mass, which is enough dust mass to make young galaxies dusty.
A deficit of dust input has been suggested not only in high-redshift galaxies, but also in neighbouring galaxies. Of course, one possibility is that SNe are significant sources of dust in these galaxies as well. But an alternative view is that galaxies have acquired a large mass of dust in the past, but that they are now in a quiescent phase of dust formation, as there are not so many dust-forming stars at present. Combining new techniques introduced by the Spitzer and GAIA missions we can detangle these issues.
My project aims to quantify the dust mass formed in supernovae and seeks to determine the physical and chemical process that lead to the formation in stars. In parallel, the project aims to elucidate what galaxy properties can have an impact on dust formation from stars, or vice-versa. The project will lead the way so we can build a full picture of the origin and evolution of dust in the Milky Way, nearby galaxies and high-redshift galaxies. The project will design the observing programs for future space missions JWST and SPICA. The outcome of this project has a potential to impact astrophysical processes involving dust, such as star-formation, stellar evolution and galaxy evolution.
To form dust, atoms such as carbon, silicon, oxygen and iron, need to meet with other atoms. Consecutive meeting and bonding of atoms makes dust grow, ending up with a dust grain composed of hundreds and thousands of refractory elements. The reaction is efficient where gas is reasonably hot and dense, and where many refractory elements are available. The surroundings of asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars, which are in the late stage of stellar evolution for 1-8 solar mass stars, provides an ideal place to make dust, as there is dense gas with some newly synthesised elements by the stars. Older textbooks usually describe the dust content of the ISM originating from AGB stars.
A decade of advances in observational astronomy has challenged this traditional description of dust origin. Many high-redshift galaxies, located deep in space and observed less than one billion years old after the big bang, have been found to be much dustier than expected if dust is produced by AGB stars only. Hence, there must be some other objects to make a lot of dust within these galaxies.
Theories have proposed that supernovae (SNe) can be an additional and significant dust source that makes galaxies dusty. SNe are the enormous explosion of massive stars at the end their lives, hence ejecting elements synthesised in stars into space. An explosion of SN 1987A was detected in the neighbouring galaxy, the Large Magellanic Cloud. The explosion was initially recorded in optical light, and neutrinos were also detected. Twenty-five years after I and colleagues found that the remnant of SN 1987A is filled with cold dust and molecules. Our observations with the Herschel Space Observatory and the Atacama Millemetre/submillemtre Array (ALMA) began to reveal that the supernova remnant has became cool, but is still dense enough for dust to form. The estimated mass of dust is about 0.5 solar mass, which is enough dust mass to make young galaxies dusty.
A deficit of dust input has been suggested not only in high-redshift galaxies, but also in neighbouring galaxies. Of course, one possibility is that SNe are significant sources of dust in these galaxies as well. But an alternative view is that galaxies have acquired a large mass of dust in the past, but that they are now in a quiescent phase of dust formation, as there are not so many dust-forming stars at present. Combining new techniques introduced by the Spitzer and GAIA missions we can detangle these issues.
My project aims to quantify the dust mass formed in supernovae and seeks to determine the physical and chemical process that lead to the formation in stars. In parallel, the project aims to elucidate what galaxy properties can have an impact on dust formation from stars, or vice-versa. The project will lead the way so we can build a full picture of the origin and evolution of dust in the Milky Way, nearby galaxies and high-redshift galaxies. The project will design the observing programs for future space missions JWST and SPICA. The outcome of this project has a potential to impact astrophysical processes involving dust, such as star-formation, stellar evolution and galaxy evolution.
Organisations
People |
ORCID iD |
| Mikako Matsuura (Principal Investigator / Fellow) |
Publications
Chawner H
(2019)
A catalogue of Galactic supernova remnants in the far-infrared: revealing ejecta dust in pulsar wind nebulae
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Chawner H
(2020)
A complete catalogue of dusty supernova remnants in the Galactic plane
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Bevan A
(2019)
A decade of ejecta dust formation in the Type IIn SN 2005ip
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Chawner H
(2020)
A Galactic dust devil: far-infrared observations of the Tornado supernova remnant candidate
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Matsuura M
(2015)
A STUBBORNLY LARGE MASS OF COLD DUST IN THE EJECTA OF SUPERNOVA 1987A
in The Astrophysical Journal
Larsson J
(2019)
A Three-dimensional View of Molecular Hydrogen in SN 1987A
in The Astrophysical Journal
Ohsawa R
(2016)
AKARI /IRC NEAR-INFRARED SPECTRAL ATLAS OF GALACTIC PLANETARY NEBULAE
in The Astronomical Journal
Matsuura Mikako
(2015)
ALMA molecular observations of supernova 1987A as a tracer of mixing and dynamics after the explosion
in IAU General Assembly
Matsuura M
(2017)
ALMA observations of Molecules in Supernova 1987A
in Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union
Matsuura M.
(2015)
ALMA Observations of Supernova 1987A
in Revolution in Astronomy with ALMA: The Third Year
McDonald I
(2015)
ALMA reveals sunburn: CO dissociation around AGB stars in the globular cluster 47 Tucanae
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Matsuura M
(2017)
ALMA spectral survey of Supernova 1987A - molecular inventory, chemistry, dynamics and explosive nucleosynthesis
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Olofsson G
(2020)
Atacama Compact Array observations of the pulsar-wind nebula of SNR 0540-69.3
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Esposito P
(2018)
Can a Bright and Energetic X-Ray Pulsar Be Hiding Amid the Debris of SN 1987A?
in The Astrophysical Journal
Matsuura Mikako
(2015)
CO thermal emissions and mass loss of red-supergiants beyond the Milky Way
in IAU General Assembly
Zanardo G
(2018)
Detection of Linear Polarization in the Radio Remnant of Supernova 1987A
in The Astrophysical Journal
Matsuura M
(2015)
Detection of Rotational CO Emission From the Red-supergiants in the Large Magellanic Cloud
in EAS Publications Series
Sarangi A
(2018)
Dust in Supernovae and Supernova Remnants I: Formation Scenarios
in Space Science Reviews
Micelotta E
(2018)
Dust in Supernovae and Supernova Remnants II: Processing and Survival
in Space Science Reviews
Matsuura Mikako
(2015)
Dust production in supernovae and AGB stars
in IAU General Assembly
Andrews J
(2016)
Early dust formation and a massive progenitor for SN 2011ja?
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Meixner M
(2015)
ERRATUM: "THE HERSCHEL INVENTORY OF THE AGENTS OF GALAXY EVOLUTION (HERITAGE) IN THE MAGELLANIC CLOUDS, A HERSCHEL OPEN TIME KEY PROGRAM" (2013, AJ, 146, 62)
in The Astronomical Journal
Mattsson L
(2015)
From flux to dust mass: Does the grain-temperature distribution matter for estimates of cold dust masses in supernova remnants?
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Spinoglio L
(2017)
Galaxy Evolution Studies with the SPace IR Telescope for Cosmology and Astrophysics ( SPICA ): The Power of IR Spectroscopy
in Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia
Justtanont K.
(2015)
H
2O Isotopologues in Extreme OH/IR Stars
in Why Galaxies Care about AGB Stars III: A Closer Look in Space and Time
Van De Steene G
(2015)
Herschel imaging of the dust in the Helix nebula (NGC 7293)
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Justtanont K
(2015)
Herschel observations of extreme OH/IR stars The isotopic ratios of oxygen as a sign-post for the stellar mass??
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Cigan P
(2019)
High Angular Resolution ALMA Images of Dust and Molecules in the SN 1987A Ejecta
in The Astrophysical Journal
Cigan P
(2017)
High-Resolution Observations of Dust in SN 1987A
in Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union
Baes M
(2017)
Measuring the dust content and formation in SN 1987A using detailed radiative transfer modelling
in Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union
Matsuura M
(2022)
Mid-infrared imaging of Supernova 1987A
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Speck Angela K.
(2015)
Molecular Hydrogen in Planetary Nebulae
in IAU General Assembly
Ohsawa R
(2017)
NEAR-INFRARED PAH FEATURES IN GALACTIC PLANETARY NEBULAE
in Publications of The Korean Astronomical Society
Ohsawa R
(2016)
Near-infrared views of dust in planetary nebulae: AKARI/IRC NIR spectral atlas of Galactic PNe
in Journal of Physics: Conference Series
Exter K
(2016)
On the properties of dust and gas in the environs of V838 Monocerotis
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Van Der Tak F
(2018)
Probing the Baryon Cycle of Galaxies with SPICA Mid- and Far-Infrared Observations
in Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia
Priestley F
(2021)
Revisiting the dust destruction efficiency of supernovae
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Matsuura M
(2019)
SOFIA mid-infrared observations of Supernova 1987A in 2016 - forward shocks and possible dust re-formation in the post-shocked region
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Fernández-Ontiveros J
(2017)
SPICA and the Chemical Evolution of Galaxies: The Rise of Metals and Dust
in Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia
Matsuura M
(2022)
Spitzer and Herschel studies of dust in supernova remnants in the Small Magellanic Cloud
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Ruffle P
(2015)
Spitzer infrared spectrograph point source classification in the Small Magellanic Cloud
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Alp D
(2018)
The 30 Year Search for the Compact Object in SN 1987A
in The Astrophysical Journal
Groenewegen M
(2016)
The ALMA detection of CO rotational line emission in AGB stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Montiel E
(2018)
The Double Dust Envelopes of R Coronae Borealis Stars
in The Astronomical Journal
Wesson R
(2019)
The dust content of the Crab Nebula
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
De Looze I
(2017)
The dust mass in Cassiopeia A from a spatially resolved Herschel analysis
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Rigopoulou D.
(2017)
The European Far-Infrared Space Roadmap
in arXiv e-prints
Sloan G
(2016)
THE INFRARED SPECTRAL PROPERTIES OF MAGELLANIC CARBON STARS
in The Astrophysical Journal
Matsuura M
(2016)
The mass-loss rates of red supergiants at low metallicity: detection of rotational CO emission from two red supergiants in the Large Magellanic Cloud
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Dharmawardena T
(2019)
The nearby evolved stars survey - I. JCMT/SCUBA-2 submillimetre detection of the detached shell of U Antliae
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
| Description | Our research measured the elements that were synthesised by a supernova. That illustrate how the elements were formed in the universe and spread across. |
| Exploitation Route | The editor of the book,'Handbook of Supernovae' asked me to write a contributing chapter. Also invited to write further two review papers, which were accepted. |
| Sectors | Education |
| Description | The research attracted press-releases, public talks and media appearances. These show to the UK public about UK's high research standard. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2015 |
| Sector | Education |
| Impact Types | Cultural |
| Description | Cardiff University - KU Leuven Staff mobility grant |
| Amount | £600 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Cardiff University |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 02/2016 |
| End | 06/2016 |
| Description | Royal Astronomical Society travelling grant |
| Amount | £1,200 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Royal Astronomical Society |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 08/2015 |
| End | 08/2015 |
| Description | The Royal Astronomical Society OAD grant |
| Amount | £1,000 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Royal Astronomical Society |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 07/2018 |
| End | 07/2018 |
| Description | ALMA investigation of Supernova 1987A |
| Organisation | University of Manchester |
| Department | Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | ALMA played critical part of investigation of dust and molecule in Supernova 1987A |
| Collaborator Contribution | Jodrell Bank Center for Astrophysics contribute to ALMA data reduction, as they host ALMA regional node in UK. |
| Impact | Publications made (DOI: 10.3847/1538-4357/ab4b46) |
| Start Year | 2015 |
| Description | JCMT NESS consortium |
| Organisation | Academia Sinica |
| Department | Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics |
| Country | Taiwan, Province of China |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Writing overview of the scientific field of the project proposal, which was accepted by as a JCMT large program. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The PI lead the management and data reduction of the project |
| Impact | Publications of papers, including Dharmawardena et al. (2019) |
| Start Year | 2017 |
| Description | Lueven |
| Organisation | University of Leuven |
| Department | Institute of Astronomy |
| Country | Belgium |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Developing models for extragalactic stars |
| Collaborator Contribution | Providing a code for stars that would be developed for extragalactic stars |
| Impact | The collaboration is just started, and outputs are yet to appear. |
| Start Year | 2016 |
| Description | SOFIA consortium to investigate dust in Supernova 1987A |
| Organisation | National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) |
| Department | Goddard Space Flight Center |
| Country | United States |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | Leading SOFIA consortium to investigate dust in Supernova 1987A, that resulted in publications in 2019 |
| Collaborator Contribution | The partners helped data reduction and drafting the papers. |
| Impact | Publication of papers (DOI: 10.1093/mnras/sty2734) |
| Start Year | 2017 |
| Description | SOFIA consortium to investigate dust in Supernova 1987A |
| Organisation | Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence |
| Country | United States |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | Leading SOFIA consortium to investigate dust in Supernova 1987A, that resulted in publications in 2019 |
| Collaborator Contribution | The partners helped data reduction and drafting the papers. |
| Impact | Publication of papers (DOI: 10.1093/mnras/sty2734) |
| Start Year | 2017 |
| Description | Appearance in an article of Nature Astronomy |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | This article reports our hard work of supernova 1987A over 30 years. This anniversary got a lot of attentions, including this media appearance, broadening the interest of supernovae/ |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Appearance on magazine 'Astronomy' |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Appeared on an article about Supernova 1987A on the magazine,'Astronomy' March 2017 issue |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| URL | http://www.astronomy.com/issues/2017/march-2017 |
| Description | Discussion panel for carrier development meeting for post-doc and PhD students |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | I sat down as one of the discussion panel for carrier development meeting for post-doc and PhD students at National Astronomical Observatory of Japan. There were a lot of questions about how to develop career beyond Japan. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Elementary school visit and lectures |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | I have given two lectures to 11-12 years old school pupils. They were so keen and connect their knowledge to my own research with their minds. Hope they will be interested in science in future. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Featured in an article in Quanta Magazine |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | As a consequence of the press release of our scientific results, our work features in an article, widening the interest to general public. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Featuring Science Cafe on BBC Wales |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | After the press release of our latest research, BBC Wales invited us for an interview for Science Cafe. This definitely helps people interested in Science. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Invited talk at British Astronomical Association |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | This is an annually meeting for amateur astronomers, and I was invited to give a talk about it. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | NASA press release |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | This is a press release with a vide about our latest research |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://www.nasa.gov/feature/sofia-finds-dust-survives-obliteration-in-supernova-1987a |
| Description | News article |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | An article about Subaru image of the Helix Nebula on Newsletter of 'National Astronomical Observatory of Japan', no. 261, April 1st, 2015 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
| Description | Outreach talk |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | About 30 amateur astronomers attended the talk, and debated the origin of dust in universe afterwards |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
| Description | Outreach talk at Bristol Astronomical Society |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Outreach talk at Bristol Astronomical Society. The audience were interested in the subject, and I recommend my colleague from Cardiff University to present a similar topic in future. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Outreach talk at Cardiff Astronomical Society, |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The talk at the Cardiff Astronomical Society was successful, and they introduced me for further astronomical societies nearby. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Press release from Cardiff University with media coverage, including BBC, Scientific America |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | The press release was covered by international media, including https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/news/view/1726026-scientists-find-evidence-of-missing-neutron-star https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-50473482 https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/a-missing-neutron-star-may-have-been-found-after-30-year-hunt/ https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-7706073/Location-missing-neutron-star-finally-30-years.html https://www.newscientist.com/article/2224110-weve-found-the-missing-neutron-star-at-the-centre-of-a-supernova/ |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-50473482 |
| Description | Public lecture |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | Lecturing at your Universe, UCL, 27th April 2015. About 50 pupils attended. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
| Description | Public talk at Abergavenny Astronomical Society |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The outreach talk attracted about 15 amateur astronomers with much debate afterwards |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| Description | Public talk at Hereford Astronomical Society, Hereford |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Public talk about astronomy and about 30 amateur astronomers attended |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| Description | Talk at Guildford Astronomical Society |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Made a lot of discussions about latest ALMA results |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |