Molecules and dust in Cassiopeia A

Abstract

Aims. We study the chemistry of the type IIb supernova ejecta, which led to the Cas A supernova remnant, to assess the chemical type and quantity of dust that forms and evolves in the remnant phase. We later model a dense oxygen-rich ejecta knot, which is crossed by the reverse shock in Cas A, to study the evolution of the clump gas phase and the possibility to reform dust clusters in the post-reverse shock gas.