Abstract
Supernovae are considered as prime sources of dust in space. Observations of local supernovae over the past couple of decades have detected the presence of dust in supernova ejecta. The reddening of the high redshift quasars also indicate the presence of large masses of dust in early galaxies. Considering the top heavy IMF in the early galaxies, supernovae are assumed to be the major contributor to these large amounts of dust. However, the composition and morphology of dust grains formed in a supernova ejecta is yet to be understood with clarity. Moreover, the dust masses inferred from observations in mid-infrared and submillimeter wavelength regimes differ by two orders of magnitude or more. Therefore, the mechanism responsible for the synthesis of molecules and dust in such environments plays a crucial role in studying the evolution of cosmic dust in galaxies. This review summarises our current knowledge of dust formation in supernova ejecta and tries to quantify the role of supernovae as dust producers in a galaxy.
Highlights
The solid grains in space which may vary in size from the dimension of a few molecules to the order of a few microns, are broadly classified as cosmic dust
Cosmic dust can be of diverse chemical types, which includes carbon, silicates, metal oxides, silica, pure metals, metal sulphides, carbides and some other species yet to be determined with certainty (Molster et al 2010; Cherchneff 2013)
Dust formation scenario in SNe is a complex interplay between several physical and chemical processes, which may vary depending on minimal alteration of conditions
Summary
The solid grains in space which may vary in size from the dimension of a few molecules to the order of a few microns, are broadly classified as cosmic dust. It is responsible for up to 50% of the total radiation from some galaxies, which rightfully justifies its importance These dust grains are efficient in absorbing and scattering UV, optical and near-infrared (IR) radiations, and re-emitting the absorbed energy in the mid-IR and submillimeter (submm) wavelengths (Martin 1978; Li 2005). Using the newly developed techniques, confirmed evidence for the presence of cosmic dust has been established through various studies over the past couple of decades Having said that, it is necessary at this point to investigate the potential sources of origin. The chemical processes that are prevalent at moderately high temperatures ∼1000–2000 K and high gas densities govern the dust formation scenario Such physical conditions are mainly encountered in evolved stellar outflows or winds and ejecta of novae and supernovae (Cherchneff 2010, 2013; Kozasa et al 2009). For dust grains to survive in the ISM, a continuous source of newly formed
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