A RESOLVED MILLIMETER EMISSION BELT IN THE AU Mic DEBRIS DISK

Journal Article · Fri Apr 20 00:00:00 EDT 2012 · Astrophysical Journal Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1088/2041-8205/749/2/L27· OSTI ID:22047892

Wilner, David J; Andrews, Sean M; MacGregor, Meredith A ^[1]; Meredith Hughes, A ^[2]

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1. Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States)
2. Department of Astronomy, 601 Campbell Hall, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720 (United States)

We present imaging observations at 1.3 mm of the debris disk surrounding the nearby M-type flare star AU Mic with beam size 3'' (30 AU) from the Submillimeter Array. These data reveal a belt of thermal dust emission surrounding the star with the same edge-on geometry as the more extended scattered light disk detected at optical wavelengths. Simple modeling indicates a central radius of {approx}35 AU for the emission belt. This location is consistent with the reservoir of planetesimals previously invoked to explain the shape of the scattered light surface brightness profile through size-dependent dust dynamics. The identification of this belt further strengthens the kinship between the debris disks around AU Mic and its more massive sister star {beta} Pic, members of the same {approx}10 Myr old moving group.

• OSTI ID: 22047892
• Journal Information: Astrophysical Journal Letters, Vol. 749, Issue 2; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 2041-8205
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

79 ASTROPHYSICS
COSMOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY
ASTRONOMY
ASTROPHYSICS
BRIGHTNESS
COSMIC DUST
PLANETS
SIMULATION
STARS
STELLAR FLARES
SURFACES
VISIBLE RADIATION
WAVELENGTHS