Constraining Dust Formation in the Superluminous Supernova 2017gci with JWST Observations

Abstract We present JWST/MIRI observations of the Type I superluminous supernova (SLSN) 2017gci obtained over 2000 rest-frame days after the supernova (SN) exploded, which represent the latest phase images taken of any known SLSN to date. We find that archival Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) detections of SN 2017gci taken 70–200 days after explosion are most likely explained by an IR dust echo from a ∼10 −4 M ⊙ shell of preexisting dust, as opposed to freshly formed dust. New JWST observations reveal mid-infrared emission at the position of SN 2017gci; however, the flux level and spatial offset indicate that this emission is most likely dominated by the host galaxy. We therefore derive upper limits from these observations to constrain dust emission at late times. Radiative transfer modeling of carbonaceous dust shows that warm optically thin dust masses up to 0.18 M ⊙ are excluded at the 3 σ confidence level. However, substantially larger dust masses cannot be ruled out if the dust is optically thick. Infrared detections of other SLSNe have suggested that SLSNe may be highly efficient dust producers. While our constraints are insufficient to determine the total dust yield of SN 2017gci, they indicate that any late-time dust emission must either be modest compared to the most dust-rich SNe or arise from dust that is optically thick. A larger sample of deep infrared observations will be required to determine whether SLSNe are significant contributors to cosmic dust production.

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Publication Details

Journal
The Astrophysical Journal
Published
2026-10-14
DOI
https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ae84cd
Primary Topic
Gamma-ray bursts and supernovae
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Constraining Dust Formation in the Superluminous Supernova 2017gci with JWST Observations

Ilse De Looze, A. Rest, Jacob E. Jencson, Samaporn Tinyanont et al.
The Astrophysical Journal
Gamma-ray bursts and supernovae
article

Constraining Dust Formation in the Superluminous Supernova 2017gci with JWST Observations

Ilse De Looze, A. Rest, Jacob E. Jencson, Samaporn Tinyanont, V. Ashley Villar, Dan Milisavljevic, Tamás Szalai, Melissa Shahbandeh, Sebastián Gómez, Tea Temim, Danial Langeroodi, Justin D. R. Pierel, Chris Ashall, Ori D. Fox
article en

Abstract

Abstract We present JWST/MIRI observations of the Type I superluminous supernova (SLSN) 2017gci obtained over 2000 rest-frame days after the supernova (SN) exploded, which represent the latest phase images taken of any known SLSN to date. We find that archival Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) detections of SN 2017gci taken 70–200 days after explosion are most likely explained by an IR dust echo from a ∼10 −4 M ⊙ shell of preexisting dust, as opposed to freshly formed dust. New JWST observations reveal mid-infrared emission at the position of SN 2017gci; however, the flux level and spatial offset indicate that this emission is most likely dominated by the host galaxy. We therefore derive upper limits from these observations to constrain dust emission at late times. Radiative transfer modeling of carbonaceous dust shows that warm optically thin dust masses up to 0.18 M ⊙ are excluded at the 3 σ confidence level. However, substantially larger dust masses cannot be ruled out if the dust is optically thick. Infrared detections of other SLSNe have suggested that SLSNe may be highly efficient dust producers. While our constraints are insufficient to determine the total dust yield of SN 2017gci, they indicate that any late-time dust emission must either be modest compared to the most dust-rich SNe or arise from dust that is optically thick. A larger sample of deep infrared observations will be required to determine whether SLSNe are significant contributors to cosmic dust production.

The Astrophysical JournalVol. 1010(2)
Eötvös Loránd University (HU), University of Copenhagen (DK), Space Telescope Science Institute (US), Johns Hopkins University (US), Princeton University (US), Purdue University West Lafayette (US), University of Szeged (HU), Ghent University (BE), Center for Astrophysics Harvard & Smithsonian (US), The NSF AI Institute for Artificial Intelligence and Fundamental Interactions (US), Infrared Processing and Analysis Center (US), National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand (TH), Virginia Tech (US), The University of Texas at Austin (US)
National Science Foundation, Smithsonian Institution, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, California Institute of Technology, Villum Fonden, Space Telescope Science Institute, European Space Agency, European Commission, Belgian Federal Science Policy Office, Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, Hungarian Scientific Research Fund, Nemzeti Kutatási Fejlesztési és Innovációs Hivatal, Vlaamse regering, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, National Research, Development and Innovation Office, H2020 European Research Council
Openalex Percentile: Top 100%
Gamma-ray bursts and supernovae
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