The bright, dusty aftermath of giant eruptions & H-rich supernovae. Late interaction of supernova shocks & dusty circumstellar shells (2502.09700v1)

Abstract: The late-stage evolution of massive stars is marked by intense instability as they approach core-collapse. During these phases, giant stellar eruptions lead to exceptionally high mass-loss rates, forming significant amounts of dust. However, the survival of these dust grains is challenged by the powerful shock waves generated when the progenitor explodes as a supernova (SN). We explore the impact of hydrogen-rich SN explosions from 45, 50, and 60 M$\odot$ progenitors on dust formed after these eruptions, focusing on interactions with circumstellar shells occurring from a few years to centuries after the event. Using 3D hydrodynamical simulations, we track the evolution of dust particles in a scenario that includes the progenitor's stellar wind, a giant eruption, and the subsequent SN explosion, following the mass budgets predicted by stellar evolution models. For a standard SN ejecta mass of 10 M$\odot$ and kinetic energy of $10^{51}$ erg, only 25% of the dust mass survives 250 years post-explosion in a spherical circumstellar medium (CSM), while merely 2% remains a century after the explosion in a bipolar CSM. If the SN follows the eruption within a dozen years, 75% of the dust survives for a standard explosion, dropping to 20% for more massive ejecta (15-20 M$_\odot$) with kinetic energy of $5 \times 10^{51}$ erg. The geometry of the CSM and the early transition of the SN remnant into a radiative phase significantly influence dust survival. As the shock wave weakens and efficiently converts kinetic energy into thermal radiation (up to half of the injected kinetic energy) the likelihood of dust survival increases, affecting not only pre-existing dust in the CSM but also SN-condensed dust and ambient interstellar dust. Contrary to expectations, a larger fraction of the dust mass can survive if the SN occurs only a few years after the eruption.

• The paper simulates the interaction of hydrogen-rich supernova shocks with dusty circumstellar shells from prior giant eruptions using 3D hydrodynamics.
• Dust survival rates significantly depend on the timing between eruption and supernova, with shorter intervals (dozen years) leading to higher survival (up to 75%) compared to longer ones (200 years, 2-25% survival), and also on CSM geometry.
• The findings suggest dense CSM can protect dust against supernova shocks by facilitating rapid energy radiation, impacting our understanding of dust persistence in massive stellar environments and providing observable predictions like excess infrared radiation.

The Impact of Hydrogen-Rich Supernovae on Dust Grains in Circumstellar Shells

The paper under review explores the complex interactions of shock waves from hydrogen-rich supernovae (SNe) with dusty circumstellar mediums (CSMs) formed from prior giant stellar eruptions. The progenitor stars, with masses of 45, 50, and 60 M$_\odot$, represent late-stage evolutionary scenarios in which the circumstellar environments are altered by massive stellar eruptions preceding supernova detonations. Through the utilization of 3D hydrodynamical simulations, the paper innovatively combines several astrophysical phenomena: stellar winds, giant eruptions, and SN explosions, aimed at dissecting their combined impact on the survival of dust grains formed in the CSM.

The paper is comprehensive in its approach, evaluating both spherical and bipolar geometries of the CSM and considering varying timescales between the eruption and the SN explosion. Noteworthy results reveal the dependence of dust survival on both the timing of supernova impacts relative to eruptions and the geometry of the CSM. For a typical explosion with standard parameters (10 M$_\odot$ ejecta and $10^{51}$ erg kinetic energy), the simulation results suggest that if the SN explosion follows a 200-year gap after the eruption, a scant 25% of the dust survives in a spherical CSM. Interestingly, a more dramatic decline in the survival rate to 2% is observed for bipolar CSMs, attributed to the faster interaction of the shock with the dense equatorial regions of the CSM.

Conversely, a shorter interval—merely a dozen years between eruption and SN—alters this outcome significantly; the simulations predict up to 75% dust survival for standard explosions. This counterintuitive resilience is attributed to the dense CSM facilitating rapid conversion of kinetic energy into radiated thermal energy, thus weakening the destructive force of the shock wave.

The implications of these findings extend to our understanding of the lifecycle of dust in galaxies and the role massive stars play in dust production and destruction. In scenarios of shorter eruption-SN timescales, the SN allows more interstellar dust to survive, suggesting that CSM density can act as a protective barrier against otherwise destructive SN shock waves. This outcome provides an interesting perspective on the resilience of astrophysical dust in environments marked by relatively quick succession of violent stellar processes.

From a theoretical standpoint, the results highlight the importance of early radiative phases in the SN development and their capability to reduce the shock’s destructive potential. Practically, the paper sheds light on potential observable phenomena, such as excess infrared radiation emanating from surviving dust grains heated by SN interactions, providing testable predictions for future observations.

In future work, it would be academically enriching to further refine these models by potentially integrating more complex CSM geometries and compositions, as well as addressing the influence of multi-eruption scenarios. Exploring various metallicities and their effects on dust survival might also prove insightful given their relevance to early universe conditions. Such efforts have the potential to deepen our understanding of dust persistence across cosmic epochs, particularly during the tumultuous late-stage evolutionary phases of massive stellar progenitors.