Spitzer measurements of atomic and molecular abundances in the Type IIP   SN 2005af
  We present results based on Spitzer Space Telescope mid-infrared (3.6-30 micron) observations of the nearby IIP supernova 2005af. We report the first ever detection of the SiO molecule in a Type IIP supernova. Together with the detection of the CO fundamental, this is an exciting finding as it may signal the onset of dust condensation in the ejecta. From a wealth of fine-structure lines we provide abundance estimates for stable Ni, Ar, and Ne which, via spectral synthesis, may be used to constrain nucleosynthesis models. 
Rubina Kotak (ESO), Peter Meikle, Monica Pozzo (Imperial College   London), Schuyler D. van Dyk (SSC), Duncan Farrah (Cornel...