Aims. The dust-forming population of AGB stars and their input to the interstellar dust budget of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) are studied with evolutionary dust models with the main goals (1) to ...investigate how the amount and composition of dust from AGB stars vary over the galactic history; (2) to characterise the mass and metallicity distribution of the present population of AGB stars; (3) to quantify the contribution of AGB stars of different mass and metallicity to the present stardust population in the interstellar medium (ISM). Methods. We used models of the stardust lifecycle in the ISM developed and tested for the solar neighbourhood. The first global spatially resolved reconstruction of the star formation history of the LMC from the Magellanic Clouds Photometric Survey was employed to calculate the stellar populations in the LMC. Results. The dust input from AGB stars is dominated by carbon grains from stars with masses ≲4 M⊙ almost during the entire history of the LMC. The production of silicate, silicon carbide, and iron dust is delayed until the ISM is enriched to about half the present metallicity in the LMC. For the first time, theoretically calculated dust production rates of AGB stars are compared with those derived from infrared observations of AGB stars for the entire galaxy. We find good agreement within scatter of various observational estimates. We show that the majority of silicate and iron grains in the present stardust population originate from a small population of intermediate-mass stars consisting of only ≲4% of the total number of stars, whereas in the solar neighbourhood they originate from low-mass stars. With models of the lifecycle of stardust grains in the ISM we confirm the strong discrepancy between dust input from stars and the existing interstellar dust mass in the LMC reported previously.
Aims. The goal of this paper is to analyse the behaviour of the gas-to-dust mass ratio (G/D) of local Universe galaxies over a wide metallicity range. We especially focus on the low-metallicity part ...of the G/D vs metallicity relation and investigate several explanations for the observed relation and scatter. Methods. We assembled a total of 126 galaxies, covering a 2 dex metallicity range and with 30% of the sample with 12 + log(O/H)≤ 8.0. We homogeneously determined the dust masses with a semi-empirical dust model including submm constraints. The atomic and molecular gas masses have been compiled from the literature. We used two XCO scenarios to estimate the molecular gas mass: the Galactic conversion factor, XCO,MW, and a XCO that depends on the metallicity XCO,Z (∝Z-2). We modelled the observed trend of the G/D with metallicity using two simple power laws (slope of –1 and free) and a broken power law. Correlations with morphological type, stellar masses, star formation rates, and specific star formation rates are also discussed. We then compared the observed evolution of the G/D with predictions from several chemical evolution models and explored different physical explanations for the observed scatter in the G/D values. Results. We find that out of the five tested galactic parameters, metallicity is the main physical property of the galaxy driving the observed G/D. The G/D versus metallicity relation cannot be represented by a single power law with a slope of –1 over the whole metallicity range. The observed trend is steeper for metallicities lower than ~8.0. A large scatter is observed in the G/D values for a given metallicity: in metallicity bins of ~0.1 dex, the dispersion around the mean value is ~0.37 dex. On average, the broken power law reproduces the observed G/D best compared to the two power laws (slope of –1 or free) and provides estimates of the G/D that are accurate to a factor of 1.6. The good agreement of observed values of the G/D and its scatter with respect to metallicity with the predicted values of the three tested chemical evolution models allows us to infer that the scatter in the relation is intrinsic to galactic properties, reflecting the different star formation histories, dust destruction efficiencies, dust grain size distributions, and chemical compositions across the sample. Conclusions. Our results show that the chemical evolution of low-metallicity galaxies, traced by their G/D, strongly depends on their local internal conditions and individual histories. The large scatter in the observed G/D at a given metallicity reflects the impact of various processes occurring during the evolution of a galaxy. Despite the numerous degeneracies affecting them, disentangling these various processes is now the next step.
The traditional picture of post-starburst galaxies as dust- and gas-poor merger remnants, rapidly transitioning to quiescence, has been recently challenged. Unexpected detections of a significant ...interstellar medium (ISM) in many post-starburst galaxies raise important questions. Are they truly quiescent, and if so, what mechanisms inhibit further star formation? What processes dominate their ISM energetics? We present an infrared spectroscopic and photometric survey of 33 E+A post-starbursts selected by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, aimed at resolving these questions. We find compact, warm dust reservoirs with high PAH abundances and total gas and dust masses significantly higher than expected from stellar recycling alone. Both polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH)/total infrared (TIR) and dust-to-burst stellar mass ratios are seen to decrease with post-burst age, indicative of the accumulating effects of dust destruction and an incipient transition to hot, early-type ISM properties. Their infrared spectral properties are unique, with dominant PAH emission, very weak nebular lines, unusually strong H2 rotational emission, and deep C ii deficits. There is substantial scatter among star formation rate (SFR) indicators, and both PAH and TIR luminosities provide overestimates. Even as potential upper limits, all tracers show that the SFR has typically experienced a decline of more than two orders of magnitude since the starburst and that the SFR is considerably lower than expected given both their stellar masses and molecular gas densities. These results paint a coherent picture of systems in which star formation was, indeed, rapidly truncated, but in which the ISM was not completely expelled, and is instead supported against collapse by latent or continued injection of turbulent or mechanical heating. The resulting aging burst populations provide a "high-soft" radiation field that seemingly dominates the E+A galaxies' unusual ISM energetics.
Aims.We studied the evolution of the abundance in interstellar dust species that originate in stellar sources and from condensation in molecular clouds in the local interstellar medium of the Milky ...Way. We determined from this the input of dust material to the Solar System. Methods.A one-zone chemical evolution model of the Milky Way for the elemental composition of the disk combined with an evolution model for its interstellar dust component similar to that of Dwek (1998) is developed. The dust model considers dust-mass return from AGB stars as calculated from synthetic AGB models combined with models for dust condensation in stellar outflows. Supernova dust formation is included in a simple parametrised form that is gauged by observed abundances of presolar dust grains with a supernova origin. For dust growth in the ISM, a simple method is developed for coupling this with disk and dust evolution models. Results.A chemical evolution model of the solar neighbourhood in the Milky Way is calculated, which forms the basis for calculating a model of the evolution of the interstellar dust population at the galactocentric radius of the Milky Way. The model successfully passes all standard tests for the reliability of such models. In particular the abundance evolution of the important dust-forming elements is compared with observational results for the metallicity-dependent evolution of the abundances for G-type stars from the solar neighbourhood. It is found that the new tables of Nomoto et al. (2006) for the heavy element production give much better results for the abundance evolution of these important elements than the widely used tables of Woosley & Weaver (1995). The time evolution for the abundance of the following dust species is followed in the model: silicate, carbon, silicon carbide, and iron dust from AGB stars and from supernovae, as well as silicate, carbon, and iron dust grown in molecular clouds. It is shown that the interstellar dust population is dominated by dust accreted in molecular clouds; stardust only forms a minor fraction. Most of the dust material entering the Solar System at its formation does not show isotopic abundance anomalies of the refractory elements, i.e., inconspicuous isotopic abundances do not point to a Solar System origin for dust grains. The observed abundance ratios of presolar dust grains formed in supernova ejecta and in AGB star outflows requires that, for the ejecta from supernovae, the fraction of refractory elements condensed into dust is 0.15 for carbon dust and is quite small (~10-4) for other dust species.
We present a self-consistent model of a protoplanetary disk: "ANDES" ("AccretioN disk with Dust Evolution and Sedimentation"). ANDES is based on a flexible and extendable modular structure that ...includes (1) a 1+1D frequency-dependent continuum radiative transfer module, (2) a module to calculate the chemical evolution using an extended gas-grain network with UV/X-ray-driven processes and surface reactions, (3) a module to calculate the gas thermal energy balance, and (4) a 1+1D module that simulates dust grain evolution. For the first time, grain evolution and time-dependent molecular chemistry are included in a protoplanetary disk model. We find that grain growth and sedimentation of large grains onto the disk midplane lead to a dust-depleted atmosphere. Consequently, dust and gas temperatures become higher in the inner disk (R <, ~ 50 AU) and lower in the outer disk (R > ~ 50 AU), in comparison with the disk model with pristine dust. The response of disk chemical structure to the dust growth and sedimentation is twofold. First, due to higher transparency a partly UV-shielded molecular layer is shifted closer to the dense midplane. Second, the presence of big grains in the disk midplane delays the freeze-out of volatile gas-phase species such as CO there, while in adjacent upper layers the depletion is still effective. Molecular concentrations and thus column densities of many species are enhanced in the disk model with dust evolution, e.g., CO sub(2), NH sub(2)CN, HNO, H sub(2)O, HCOOH, HCN, and CO. We also show that time-dependent chemistry is important for a proper description of gas thermal balance.
The formation of dust in the outflows of low- and intermediate-mass stars on the first giant branch and asymptotic giant branch (AGB) is studied and the relative contributions of stars of different ...initial masses and metallicities to the interstellar medium (ISM) at the instant of solar system formation are derived. These predictions are compared with the characteristics of the parent stars of presolar dust grains found in primitive meteorites and interplanetary dust particles (IDPs) inferred from their isotopic compositions. For this purpose, model calculations for dust condensation in stellar outflows are combined with synthetic models of stellar evolution on the first giant branch and AGB and an evolution model of the Milky Way for the solar neighborhood. The dust components considered are olivine, pyroxene, carbon, SiC, and iron. The corresponding dust production rates are derived for the solar vicinity. From these rates and taking into account dust destruction by supernova shocks in the ISM, the contributions to the inventory of presolar dust grains in the solar system are derived for stars of different initial masses and metallicities. It is shown that stars on the first giant branch and the early AGB are not expected to form dust, in accord with astronomical observations. Dust formation is concentrated in the last phase of evolution, the thermally pulsing AGB. Due to the limited lifetime of dust grains in the ISM only parent stars from a narrow range of metallicities are expected to contribute to the population of presolar dust grains. Silicate and silicon carbide dust grains are predicted to come from parent stars with metallicities not less than about Z 0.008 (0.6 X solar). This metallicity limit is higher than that inferred from presolar SiC grain isotope data. The population of presolar carbon dust grains is predicted to originate from a wider range of metallicities, down to Z 0.004. Masses of AGB stars that produce C-rich dust are in the range 1.5-4 M , in good agreement with what was inferred from the isotope data of presolar grains. The mass distribution of AGB stars that produce O-rich dust is essentially bimodal, with roughly equal contributions from stars in the ranges 1.3-2.5 M and 4-8 M . These model predictions are in conflict with the O-isotope data of presolar grains that indicate contributions essentially only from 1 to 2.5 M AGB stars.
The formation of grains in the interstellar medium, i.e., at low temperature, has been proposed as a possibility to solve the lifetime problem of cosmic dust. This process lacks a firm experimental ...basis, which is the goal of this study. We have investigated the condensation of SiO molecules at low temperature using neon matrix and helium droplet isolation techniques. The energies of SiO polymerization reactions have been determined experimentally with a calorimetric method and theoretically with calculations based on the density functional theory. The combined experimental and theoretical values have revealed the formation of cyclic (SiO) sub(k) (k = 2-3) clusters inside helium droplets at T = 0.37 K. Therefore, the oligomerization of SiO molecules is found to be barrierless and is expected to be fast in the low-temperature environment of the interstellar medium on the surface of dust grains. The incorporation of numerous SiO molecules in helium droplets leads to the formation of nanoscale amorphous SiO grains. Similarly, the annealing and evaporation of SiO-doped Ne matrices lead to the formation of solid amorphous SiO on the substrate. The structure and composition of the grains were determined by infrared absorption spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Our results support the hypothesis that interstellar silicates can be formed in the low-temperature regions of the interstellar medium by accretion through barrierless reactions.
We study the impact of dust evolution in a protoplanetary disk (PPD) around a T Tauri star on the disk's chemical composition. For the first time, we utilize a comprehensive model of dust evolution, ...which includes growth, fragmentation, and sedimentation. Specific attention is paid to the influence of grain evolution on the penetration of the UV field in the disk. A chemical model that includes a comprehensive set of gas-phase and grain-surface chemical reactions is used to simulate the chemical structure of the disk. The main effect of grain evolution on the disk's chemical composition comes from sedimentation and, to a lesser degree, from reduction of the total grain-surface area. The net effect of grain growth is suppressed by the fragmentation process which maintains a population of small grains, dominating the total grain surface area. We consider three models of dust properties. In model GS, both growth and sedimentation are taken into account. In models A5 and A4, all grains are assumed to be the same size (10--5 cm and 10--4 cm, respectively) with a constant gas-to-dust mass ratio of 100. As in previous studies, the 'three-layer' pattern (cold midplane, warm molecular layer, and hot atmosphere) in the disk-chemical structure is preserved in all models, but shifted closer to the midplane in models with increased grain size (GS and A4). Unlike other similar studies, we find that in models GS and A4, the column densities of most gas-phase species are enhanced by 1-3 orders of magnitude relative to those in a model with pristine dust (A5), while column densities of their surface counterparts are decreased. We show that column densities of certain species, such as C2H, HC2n+1N (n = 0-3), H2O, and some other molecules, as well as the C2H2/HCN abundance ratio, all of which are accessible with Herschel and ALMA, can be used as observational tracers of early stages of the grain evolution process in PPDs.
We combine Herschel/SPIRE submillimetre (submm) observations with existing multiwavelength data to investigate the characteristics of low-redshift, optically red galaxies detected in submm bands. We ...select a sample of galaxies in the redshift range 0.01 ≤ z ≤ 0.2, having >5σ detections in the SPIRE 250 μm submm waveband. Sources are then divided into two sub-samples of red and blue galaxies, based on their UV-optical colours. Galaxies in the red sample account for ≈4.2 per cent of the total number of sources with stellar masses M
* ≳ 1010 M⊙. Following visual classification of the red galaxies, we find that ≳30 per cent of them are early-type galaxies and ≳40 per cent are spirals. The colour of the red-spiral galaxies could be the result of their highly inclined orientation and/or a strong contribution of the old stellar population. It is found that irrespective of their morphological types, red and blue sources occupy environments with more or less similar densities (i.e. the Σ5 parameter). From the analysis of the spectral energy distributions of galaxies in our samples based on magphys, we find that galaxies in the red sample (of any morphological type) have dust masses similar to those in the blue sample (i.e. normal spiral/star-forming systems). However, in comparison to the red-spirals and in particular blue systems, red-ellipticals have lower mean dust-to-stellar mass ratios. Besides galaxies in the red-elliptical sample have much lower mean star formation/specific star formation rates in contrast to their counterparts in the blue sample. Our results support a scenario where dust in early-type systems is likely to be of an external origin.
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