Abstract
The identification of carbon monoxide in the infrared spectra of SN1987A (refs 1–4), which exploded on 23 February 1987, represents the first-ever detection of a molecule in a supernova. In infrared spectra obtained with the Anglo-Australian Telescope, first overtone emission from CO was observed near 2.3 µm as early as day 112 after the explosion, and was clearly detectable in all subsequent spectra. Spectra of the CO fundamental at 4.6 µm support this identification. In this letter we argue that the CO forms part of the supernova ejecta, and present a preliminary analysis of the first overtone band using Boltzmann population statistics. The model reproduces well the spectra obtained on days 192 and 255 and implies the presence of about 5 × 10–5 solar masses of CO by day 255. By day 284 the fit is less good, owing to increasingly prominent emission from other species, possibly in combination with the breakdown of the Boltzmann distribution.
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Spyromilio, J., Meikle, W., Learner, R. et al. Carbon monoxide in supernova 1987A. Nature 334, 327–329 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1038/334327a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/334327a0
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