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Published Online June 8, 2006
Science DOI: 10.1126/science.1128131

Research Articles

Submitted on March 30, 2006
Accepted on May 30, 2006

Massive-Star Supernovae as Major Dust Factories

Ben E. K. Sugerman 1*, Barbara Ercolano 2, M. J. Barlow 2, A. G. G. M. Tielens 3, Geoffrey C. Clayton 4, Albert A. Zijlstra 5, Margaret Meixner 1, Angela Speck 6, Tim M. Gledhill 7, Nino Panagia 1, Martin Cohen 8, Karl D. Gordon 9, Martin Meyer 1, Joanna Fabbri 2, Janet E. Bowey 2, Douglas L. Welch 10, Michael W. Regan 1, Robert C. Kennicutt Jr 11

1 Space Telescope Science Institute, 3700 San Martin Dr., Baltimore, MD 21218, USA.
2 Department of Physics and Astronomy, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK.
3 Kapteyn Astronomical Institute, P.O. Box 800, 9700 AV Groningen, Netherlands.
4 Department of Physics & Astronomy, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA.
5 School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Manchester, P.O. Box 88, Manchester M60 1QD, UK.
6 Department of Physics & Astronomy, University of Missouri, 316 Physics, Columbia, MO 65211, USA.
7 Department of Physics, Astronomy, and Maths, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield AL10 9AB, UK.
8 Monterey Institute for Research in Astronomy, 200 Eighth Street, Marina, CA 93933, USA.
9 Steward Observatory, University of Arizona, 933 North Cherry Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA.
10 Department of Physics and Astronomy, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4M1, Canada.
11 Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge, Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 0HA, UK.

* To whom correspondence should be addressed.
Ben E. K. Sugerman , E-mail: sugerman{at}stsci.edu

We present late-time optical and mid-infrared observations of the Type II supernova 2003gd in NGC 628. Mid-infrared excesses consistent with cooling dust in the ejecta are observed 499 to 678 days after outburst, and are accompanied by increasing optical extinction and growing asymmetries in the emission-line profiles. Radiative-transfer models show that up to 0.02 solar masses of dust has formed within the ejecta, beginning as early as 250 days after outburst. These observations show that dust formation in supernova ejecta can be efficient and that massive-star supernovae can be major dust producers throughout the history of the universe.


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
The Disappearance of the Progenitors of Supernovae 1993J and 2003gd.
J. R. Maund and S. J. Smartt (2009)
Science 324, 486-488
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Dust Formation in a Galaxy with Primitive Abundances.
G. C. Sloan, M. Matsuura, A. A. Zijlstra, E. Lagadec, M. A. T. Groenewegen, P. R. Wood, C. Szyszka, J. Bernard-Salas, and J. Th. van Loon (2009)
Science 323, 353-355
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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)