The Evolving ISM in the Milky Way & Nearby Galaxies SMC Observations of Dust in the Small Magellanic Cloud Supernova Remnant 1E 0102.2−7219

The quantity and composition of dust produced in core-collapse supernovae is a matter of much debate. Observations of dust around quasars at high redshift have been explained via models invoking efficient dust production, with typical yields of 0.1-1 M⊙ of dust per supernova. Observations of supernovae and their remnants, however, have yet to provide evidence for efficient dust production. Observations by Stanimirović et al. (2005) of the young, oxygen rich, supernova remnant 1E 0102.2− 7219 in the Small Magellanic Cloud placed an upper limit on the dust produced in the supernova of 8×10 M⊙, far less than the amount predicted by models. We present 5-35 μm IRS spectral mapping observations of SNR E 0102 obtained as part of the Spitzer Spectroscopic Survey of the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). The spectral information allows us to quantify the contribution of the [O IV] emission line at 25.8 μm to the 24 μm MIPS flux—a major source of uncertainty for Stanimirović et al.—to be ∼ 10 % of the total 24 μm flux. From fits to the spectral continuum we find on the order of 5 × 10 M⊙ of ∼ 110 K dust in the remnant. We compare the spatial distribution of the hot dust continuum with that of to the line emission and infer the physical conditions in the remnant. We also discuss the composition of the hot dust as revealed by the infrared spectrum. Department of Astronomy, University of California, Berkeley Department of Astronomy, University of Maryland, College Park Department of Astronomy, University of Wisconsin, Madison Steward Observatory, University of Arizona Department of Astronomy, California Institute of Technology Max Planck Institut für Astronomie, Heidelberg Germany