The properties of luminous, blue (a.k.a. Blue Monsters), super-early galaxies at redshift z>10 have been successfully explained by the attenuation-free model (AFM) in which dust is pushed to kpc-scales by radiation-driven outflows. As an alternative to AFM, here we assess whether *attenuation-free* conditions can be replaced by a *dust-free* scenario in which dust is produced in very limited amounts and/or later destroyed in the interstellar medium. To this aim we compare the predicted values of the dust-to-stellar mass ratio, ξd, with those measured in 15 galaxies at z>10 from JWST spectra, when outflows are not included. Our model constrains ξd as a function of several parameters by allowing wide variations in the IMF, dust/metal production, and dust destruction for a set of SN progenitor models and explosion energies. We find logξd≈−2.2 for all systems, indicative of the dominant role of SN dust production over destruction in these early galaxies. Such value is strikingly different from the data, which instead indicate logξd<−4. We conclude that dust destruction alone can hardly explain the transparency of Blue Monsters. Other mechanisms, such as outflows, might be required.
@article{arxiv.2410.19042,
title = {Blue Monsters at $z>10$. Where has all their dust gone?},
author = {A. Ferrara and A. Pallottini and L. Sommovigo},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2410.19042},
year = {2024}
}