VOLATILE-RICH CIRCUMSTELLAR GAS IN THE UNUSUAL 49 CETI DEBRIS DISK
- Exoplanets and Stellar Astrophysics Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 667, Greenbelt, MD 20771 (United States)
- Eureka Scientific, 2452 Delmer, Suite 100, Oakland, CA 96002 (United States)
- Kapteyn Astronomical Institute, University of Groningen, 9700 AV Groningen (Netherlands)
We present Hubble Space Telescope Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph far-UV spectra of the edge-on disk around 49 Ceti, one of the very few debris disks showing submillimeter CO emission. Many atomic absorption lines are present in the spectra, most of which arise from circumstellar gas lying along the line-of-sight to the central star. We determined the line-of-sight C I column density, estimated the total carbon column density, and set limits on the O I column density. Surprisingly, no line-of-sight CO absorption was seen. We discuss possible explanations for this non-detection, and present preliminary estimates of the carbon abundances in the line-of-sight gas. The C/Fe ratio is much greater than the solar value, suggesting that 49 Cet harbors a volatile-rich gas disk similar to that of β Pictoris.
- OSTI ID:
- 22364508
- Journal Information:
- Astrophysical Journal Letters, Vol. 796, Issue 1; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 2041-8205
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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