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A Resolved Millimeter Emission Belt in the AU Mic Debris Disk

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Abstract

  • 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 ~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 β Pic, members of the same ~10 Myr old moving group.

Publication Date

  • 2012

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