The young SNR 1E 0102.2-7219: Testing dust formation in primordial galaxies

We present infrared (IR) observations of the young, oxygen-rich supernova remnant 1E 0102.2-7219 (E0102) in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC), obtained with the Spitzer Space Telescope. The remnant is detected only at 24 mu m and has a filled morphology with two prominent filaments. We find evidence for the existence of up to 8 x 10(-4) M-circle dot of hot dust (T-d similar to 120 K) associated with the remnant. Even if all of the hot dust was formed in the explosion of E0102, the estimated mass of dust is at least 100 times lower that what is predicted by some recent theoretical models. The implied dust formation efficiency in the SMC is low, < 15%, and challenges theoretical models for dust formation in primordial galaxies. Most of the hot dust in E0102 is located in the central region which appears significantly enhanced in IR and radio continuum emission relative to the X-ray emission. Curiously, we find a compact source of excess IR emission close to E0102's center. This could be a synchrotron jet encountering a dusty interstellar medium, or alternatively, a dust condensate embedded in a cooler interstellar cloud.