The effects of dust on the optical and infrared evolution of SN 2004et
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abstract
We present an analysis of multi-epoch observations of the Type II-P supernova
SN 2004et. New and archival optical spectra of SN 2004et are used to study the
evolution of the Halpha and [O I] 6300A line profiles between days 259 and 646.
Mid-infrared imaging was carried out between 2004 to 2010. We include Spitzer
`warm' mission photometry at 3.6 and 4.5um obtained on days 1779, 1931 and
2151, along with ground-based and HST optical and near-infrared observations
obtained between days 79 and 1803. Multi-wavelength light curves are presented,
as well as optical-infrared spectral energy distributions (SEDs) for multiple
epochs. Starting from about day 300, the optical light curves provide evidence
for an increasing amount of circumstellar extinction attributable to newly
formed dust, with the additional extinction reaching 0.8-1.5 magnitudes in the
V-band by day 690. The overall SEDs were fitted with multiple blackbody
components, in order to investigate the luminosity evolution of the supernova,
and then with Monte Carlo radiative transfer models using smooth or clumpy dust
distributions, in order to estimate how much new dust condensed in the ejecta.
The luminosity evolution was consistent with the decay of 56Co in the ejecta up
until about day 690, after which an additional emission source is required, in
agreement with the findings of Kotak et al. (2009). Clumped dust density
distributions consisting of 20% amorphous carbons and 80% silicates by mass
were able to match the observed optical and infrared SEDs, with dust masses
that increased from 8x10^{-5} Msun on day 300 to 1.5x10^{-3} Msun on day 690,
still significantly lower than the values needed for core collapse supernovae
to make a significant contribution to the dust enrichment of galaxies.
