Dust Our Luck ? Measuring Molecule and Dust Formation in M101’s Hydrogen-rich SN 2023ixf

On May 19, 2023, the Type II supernova (SN II) 2023ixf was discovered at only 6.6 Mpc from Earth; one of only a handful of SNe found within 7 Mpc in the last century. Discovered hours after explosion, the >8 mag rise over the following days triggered an intense, worldwide, multi-wavelength effort to provide a high-cadence view of SN 2023ixf’s evolution. JWST observations will provide extremely valuable insights as the only telescope capable of completing the wavelength coverage in the NIR+MIR. The proximity of 2023ixf provides a perfect opportunity to study details of dust formation and any asymmetries in SNe II. The production sites of dust are still debated. AGB stars are considered to be the primary dust producers, but the first dust likely formed before AGB stars had time to produce it. SNe II are expected to play an important role in dust production since their current rate dominates over all other types of supernovae. We request 7.78 hr of DDT to obtain a NIR+MIR spectral time-series of 2023ixf at 3 epochs between ~30-400 d past explosion to detect and track the formation and evolution of molecules and dust in the ejecta. The observations will provide a legacy data set from which the community can understand dust formation in SNe II to a degree not previously possible. The data will also uniquely constrain the ejecta of a nearby SN II, adding to the handful of SNe II within 7 Mpc, but with the unparalleled insights that JWST provides. Forgoing JWST observations at the proposed phases will hinder any future science (JWST or otherwise) of SN 2023ixf, and the community will be unable to measure reliably the evolution of dust growth of the nearest SN II in the JWST era.