Large Cold Dust Reservoir Revealed in Transitional SN Ib 2014C by James Webb Space Telescope Mid-infrared Spectroscopy

Abstract Supernova (SN) 2014C is a rare transitional event that exploded as a hydrogen-poor, helium-rich Type Ib SN and subsequently interacted with a hydrogen-rich circumstellar medium (CSM) a few months postexplosion. This unique interacting object provides an opportunity to probe the mass-loss history of a stripped-envelope SN progenitor. Using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), we observed SN 2014C with the Mid-Infrared Instrument Medium Resolution Spectrometer at 3477 days postexplosion (rest frame), and the Near-Infrared Spectrograph Integral Field Unit at 3568 days postexplosion, covering 1.7–25 μ m. The bolometric luminosity indicates that the SN is still interacting with the same CSM that was observed with the Spitzer Space Telescope 40–1920 days postexplosion. JWST spectra and near-contemporaneous optical and near-infrared spectra show strong [Ne ii ] 12.831 μ m, He 1.083 μ m, H α , and forbidden oxygen ([O i ] λλ 6300, 6364, [O ii ] λλ 7319, 7330, and [O iii ] λλ 4959, 5007) emission lines with asymmetric profiles, suggesting a highly asymmetric CSM. The mid-IR continuum can be explained by ∼0.036 M ⊙ of carbonaceous dust at ∼300 K and ∼0.043 M ⊙ of silicate dust at ∼200 K. The observed dust mass has increased tenfold since the last Spitzer observation 4 yr ago, with evidence suggesting that new grains have condensed in the cold dense shell between the forward and reverse shocks. This dust mass places SN 2014C among the dustiest SNe in the mid-IR and supports the emerging observational trend that SN explosions produce enough dust to explain the observed dust mass at high redshifts.

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Publication Details

Journal
The Astrophysical Journal
Published
2025-05-23
DOI
https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/adccc0
Citations
7
Primary Topic
Gamma-ray bursts and supernovae
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
8.08

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article

Large Cold Dust Reservoir Revealed in Transitional SN Ib 2014C by James Webb Space Telescope Mid-infrared Spectroscopy

Qinan Wang, R. J. Foley, L. Galbany, Yi Yang et al.
7 citations
The Astrophysical Journal
Gamma-ray bursts and supernovae
8.08
article

Large Cold Dust Reservoir Revealed in Transitional SN Ib 2014C by James Webb Space Telescope Mid-infrared Spectroscopy

Qinan Wang, R. J. Foley, L. Galbany, Yi Yang, A. Rest, Kyle W. Davis, Jacob E. Jencson, Ryan M. Lau, Conor Larison, Samaporn Tinyanont, Arkaprabha Sarangi, Natalie LeBaron, Itsuki Sakon, A. V. Filippenko, Matthew Grayling, Szanna Zsíros, Ori D. Fox, Kittipong Wangnok, R. E. Williams, Jeonghee Rho, WeiKang Zheng, Keiichi Maeda, Dan Milisavljevic, K. Taggart, Schuyler D. Van Dyk, Tamás Szalai, Katie Auchettl, Thomas G. Brink, Melissa Shahbandeh, Luc Dessart, Tea Temim, J. Johansson, Chris Ashall, Zachary G. Lane, M. M. Kasliwal
article en
7 citations

Abstract

Abstract Supernova (SN) 2014C is a rare transitional event that exploded as a hydrogen-poor, helium-rich Type Ib SN and subsequently interacted with a hydrogen-rich circumstellar medium (CSM) a few months postexplosion. This unique interacting object provides an opportunity to probe the mass-loss history of a stripped-envelope SN progenitor. Using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), we observed SN 2014C with the Mid-Infrared Instrument Medium Resolution Spectrometer at 3477 days postexplosion (rest frame), and the Near-Infrared Spectrograph Integral Field Unit at 3568 days postexplosion, covering 1.7–25 μ m. The bolometric luminosity indicates that the SN is still interacting with the same CSM that was observed with the Spitzer Space Telescope 40–1920 days postexplosion. JWST spectra and near-contemporaneous optical and near-infrared spectra show strong [Ne ii ] 12.831 μ m, He 1.083 μ m, H α , and forbidden oxygen ([O i ] λλ 6300, 6364, [O ii ] λλ 7319, 7330, and [O iii ] λλ 4959, 5007) emission lines with asymmetric profiles, suggesting a highly asymmetric CSM. The mid-IR continuum can be explained by ∼0.036 M ⊙ of carbonaceous dust at ∼300 K and ∼0.043 M ⊙ of silicate dust at ∼200 K. The observed dust mass has increased tenfold since the last Spitzer observation 4 yr ago, with evidence suggesting that new grains have condensed in the cold dense shell between the forward and reverse shocks. This dust mass places SN 2014C among the dustiest SNe in the mid-IR and supports the emerging observational trend that SN explosions produce enough dust to explain the observed dust mass at high redshifts.

The Astrophysical JournalVol. 985(2)
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey (US), Eötvös Loránd University (HU), University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (US), California Institute of Technology (US), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR), Space Telescope Science Institute (US), Institute of Space Sciences (ES), Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IN), Johns Hopkins University (US), Tokyo University of Science (JP), Stockholm University (SE), The University of Melbourne (AU), University of California, Santa Cruz (US), University of Canterbury (NZ), Princeton University (US), Purdue University West Lafayette (US), Kyoto University (JP), University of Szeged (HU), University of Cambridge (GB), Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris (FR), Sorbonne Université (FR), Institut d'Estudis Espacials de Catalunya (ES), National Postdoctoral Association (US), Community Science and Data Center (US), NSF NOIRLab (US), Niels Brock (DK), MTA-SZTE Research Group on Artificial Intelligence (HU), Infrared Processing and Analysis Center (US), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (US), The University of Tokyo (JP), Suranaree University of Technology (TH), National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand (TH), Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (US), University of California, Berkeley (US), Tsinghua University (CN)
National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Energy, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, W. M. Keck Foundation, California Institute of Technology, Space Telescope Science Institute, NASA Exoplanet Science Institute, Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand, Royal Society Te Apārangi, Generalitat de Catalunya, Nuclear Safety and Security Commission, Thailand Science Research and Innovation, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Marsden Fund, Agencia Estatal de Investigación
Openalex Percentile: Top 3%
Gamma-ray bursts and supernovae
8.08
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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