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Originally published in Science Express on 8 June 2006
Science 14 July 2006:
Vol. 313. no. 5784, pp. 196 - 200
DOI: 10.1126/science.1128131
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Research Articles

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

We present late-time optical and mid-infrared observations of the Type II supernova 2003gd in the galaxy 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 could have been major dust producers throughout the history of the universe.

1 Space Telescope Science Institute, 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA.
2 Department of Physics and Astronomy, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK.
3 Kapteyn Astronomical Institute, Post Office Box 800, 9700 AV Groningen, Netherlands.
4 Department of Physics and Astronomy, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA.
5 School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Manchester, Post Office Box 88, Manchester M60 1QD, UK.
6 Department of Physics and 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. E-mail: sugerman{at}stsci.edu

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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)