A supernova origin for dust in a high-redshift quasar

R. Maiolino (), R. Schneider, E. Oliva, S. Bianchi, A. Ferrara, F. Mannucci, M. Pedani and M. Roca Sogorb
Additional contact information
R. Maiolino: Sezione di Firenze
R. Schneider: Sezione di Firenze
E. Oliva: Sezione di Firenze
S. Bianchi: CNR-IRA, Sezione di Firenze
A. Ferrara: SISSA/International School for Advanced Studies
F. Mannucci: CNR-IRA, Sezione di Firenze
M. Pedani: Telescopio Nazionale Galileo
M. Roca Sogorb: Universidad de La Laguna

Nature, 2004, vol. 431, issue 7008, 533-535

Abstract: Abstract Interstellar dust plays a crucial role in the evolution of the Universe by assisting the formation of molecules1, by triggering the formation of the first low-mass stars2, 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 stars3. This picture has, however, recently been brought into question by the discovery of large masses of dust in the host galaxies of quasars4,5 at redshift z > 6, when the age of the Universe was less than 1 Gyr. Theoretical studies6,7,8, corroborated by observations of nearby supernova remnants9,10,11, 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.

Date: 2004
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DOI: 10.1038/nature02930

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