2017 CNHS Faculty Publications

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    Condensation of Silicon Carbide in Supernova Ejecta
    (The American Astronomical Society, 2017-07-01) Deneault, Ethan
    We present a kinetic model of the formation of silicon carbide (SiC) in the expanding and cooling outflows of Type II supernova ejecta. We assume an ejecta cloud composed of a mixture of Si, C, and O in the gas phase, with the initial temperature, density, and composition as tunable parameters. The condensation of diatomic SiC into (SiC)2 molecules provides the abundance of nucleation sites for the eventual condensation of larger SiC solids and dust grains. We find that the abundance of these nucleation sites, formed after the first 1700 days after the explosion, is strongly governed by the C/Si ratio, the density of the gas, and the rate of cooling in the ejecta.