Disentangling the Origin and Heating Mechanism of Supernova Dust: Late-time Spitzer Spectroscopy of the Type IIn SN 2005ip

• Published in: The Astrophysical journal Vol. 725; no. 2; pp. 1768 - 1778
• Main Authors: Fox, Ori D, Chevalier, Roger A, Dwek, Eli, Skrutskie, Michael F, Sugerman, Ben E. K, Leisenring, Jarron M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bristol IOP Publishing 20.12.2010; IOP
• Subjects: Astronomy; ASTROPHYSICS, COSMOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY; BINARY STARS; DUSTS; Earth, ocean, space; ERUPTION; ERUPTIVE VARIABLE STARS; Exact sciences and technology; LUMINOSITY; OPTICAL PROPERTIES; PHYSICAL PROPERTIES; SPECTROSCOPY; STARS; SUPERNOVAE; VARIABLE STARS; Photometric observation; Dust shell; Spectroscopy; Supernovae explosion; Supernovae; infrared: stars; Luminosity; Circumstellar matter; supernovae: general; Luminous blue variable star; dust, extinction; supernovae: individual (SN 2005ip); Infrared star; Spectroscopical observation
• ISSN: 0004-637X; 1538-4357
• DOI: 10.1088/0004-637X/725/2/1768

This paper presents late-time near-infrared and Spitzer mid-infrared photometric and spectroscopic observations of warm dust in the Type IIn SN 2005ip in NGC 2906. The spectra show evidence for two dust components with different temperatures. Spanning the peak of the thermal emission, these observations provide strong constraints on the dust mass, temperature, and luminosity, which serve as critical diagnostics for disentangling the origin and heating mechanism of each component. The results suggest that the warmer dust has a mass of ~5 X 10--4 M , originates from newly formed dust in the ejecta, or possibly the cool, dense shell, and is continuously heated by the circumstellar interaction. By contrast, the cooler component likely originates from a circumstellar shock echo that forms from the heating of a large, pre-existing dust shell ~0.01-0.05 M by the late-time circumstellar interaction. The progenitor wind velocity derived from the blue edge of the He I 1.083 Delta *mm P Cygni profile indicates a progenitor eruption likely formed this dust shell ~100 years prior to the supernova explosion, which is consistent with a Luminous Blue Variable progenitor star.