Dust formation in the ejecta of SN1987A

Roger Wesson, ESO

The discovery that 0.4-0.7 M of dust had formed in the ejecta of SN1987A within 23 years of the explosion has reignited 
interest in the role of core collapse supernovae as major dust factories. Using radiative transfer models we have investigated 
when and where the dust in the ejecta of SN1987A formed. Using 3D models in which the dust forms in dense clumps, we have 
matched the observed SED at days 615, 775, 1181 and 8500. We find that at least 75% of the dust mass originated between 
days 1181 and 8500, probably by accretion onto the dust grains formed prior to day 1181.