Herschel limits on far-infrared emission from circumstellar dust around three nearby Type Ia supernovae

• We report upper limits on dust emission at far-infrared (IR) wavelengths from three nearby Type Ia supernovae: SNe 2011by, 2011fe and 2012cg. Observations were carried out at 70 and 160 mu m with the Photodetector Array Camera and Spectrometer onboard the Herschel Space Observatory. None of the supernovae were detected in the far-IR, allowing us to place upper limits on the amount of pre-existing dust in the circumstellar environment. Due to its proximity, SN 2011fe provides the tightest constraints, M-dust less than or similar to 7 x 10(-3)M(circle dot) at a 3 sigma level for dust temperatures T-dust similar to 500K assuming silicate or graphite dust grains of size a = 0.1 mu m. For SNe 2011by and 2012cg the corresponding upper limits are less stringent, with M-dust less than or similar to 10(-1)M(circle dot) for the same assumptions.

Subject headings

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Fysik -- Astronomi, astrofysik och kosmologi (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Physical Sciences -- Astronomy, Astrophysics and Cosmology (hsv//eng)

Keyword

circumstellar matter

supernovae: general

supernovae: individual: SN 2011by

supernovae: individual: SN 2011fe

supernovae: individual: SN 2012cg

dust

extinction

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)