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- Title
A supernova origin for dust in a high-redshift quasar.
- Authors
Malolino, R.; Schneider, R.; Oliva, E.; Bianchi, S.; Ferrara, A.; Mannucci, F.; Pedani, M.; Sogorb, M. Roca
- Abstract
Interstellar dust plays a crucial role in the evolution of the Universe by assisting the formation of molecules, by triggering the formation of the first low-mass stars, and by absorbing stellar ultraviolet-optical light and subsequently re-emitting it at infrared/millimetre wavelengths. Dust is thought to be produced predominantly in the envelopes of evolved (age>1?Gyr), low-mass stars. This picture has, however, recently been brought into question by the discovery of large masses of dust in the host galaxies of quasars at redshift z>6, when the age of the Universe was less than 1?Gyr. Theoretical studies, corroborated by observations of nearby supernova remnants, have suggested that supernovae provide a fast and efficient dust formation environment in the early Universe. Here we report infrared observations of a quasar at redshift 6.2, which are used to obtain directly its dust extinction curve. We then show that such a curve is in excellent agreement with supernova dust models. This result demonstrates a supernova origin for dust in this high-redshift quasar, from which we infer that most of the dust at high redshifts probably has the same origin.
- Subjects
COSMIC dust; INTERSTELLAR medium; SUPERNOVAE; QUASARS; REDSHIFT; ASTROPHYSICS; METAPHYSICAL cosmology
- Publication
Nature, 2004, Vol 431, Issue 7008, p533
- ISSN
0028-0836
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1038/nature02930