Formation of molecules and dust grains in core-collapse supernovae

Observations of local supernovae over the past couple of decades have reported the presence of dust in the ejecta of core-collapse supernovae. The dust masses inferred from observations in mid- infrared and submillimeter wavelengths differ by a factor of 10^2 to 10^4 . The composition of dust in the ejecta is yet to be determined with precision. The reddening of the high redshift quasars also indicate the presence of large masses of dust in the early galaxies, the source of which is not yet clear. Our study aims to quantify the role of core-collapse supernovae as dust producers in the galaxy. I study the production of dust in Type II-P supernova ejecta by coupling the gas-phase chemistry to the dust nucleation and condensation phases using a chemical kinetic approach. Several supernova progenitor masses with homogeneous and clumpy ejecta is assessed to estimate the chemical type and quantity of dust formed. The obtained dust properties are used to calculate the spectral energy distributions which are then compared to the estimated fluxes from SN1987A. The findings suggest the formation of dust of various chemical type in the ejecta with final masses between 0.3-0.14 Solar mass depending on the physical conditions. Our results highlight the fact that dust synthesis in Type II-P supernovae is not a single and simple process, as it is often assumed. They confirm the total dust mass gradually builds up over a time span of ~ 5 years post-outburst, and provide a genuine explanation for the discrepancy between the small amounts of dust formed at early post-explosion times and the large dust masses derived from recent observations of supernova remnants.