332 research outputs found
Sub-millimeter images of a dusty Kuiper belt around eta Corvi
We present sub-millimeter and mid-infrared images of the circumstellar disk
around the nearby F2V star eta Corvi. The disk is resolved at 850um with a size
of ~100AU. At 450um the emission is found to be extended at all position
angles, with significant elongation along a position angle of 130+-10deg; at
the highest resolution (9.3") this emission is resolved into two peaks which
are to within the uncertainties offset symmetrically from the star at 100AU
projected separation. Modeling the appearance of emission from a narrow ring in
the sub-mm images shows the observed structure cannot be caused by an edge-on
or face-on axisymmetric ring; the observations are consistent with a ring of
radius 150+-20AU seen at 45+-25deg inclination. More face-on orientations are
possible if the dust distribution includes two clumps similar to Vega; we show
how such a clumpy structure could arise from the migration over 25Myr of a
Neptune mass planet from 80-105AU. The inner 100AU of the system appears
relatively empty of sub-mm emitting dust, indicating that this region may have
been cleared by the formation of planets, but the disk emission spectrum shows
that IRAS detected an additional hot component with a characteristic
temperature of 370+-60K (implying a distance of 1-2AU). At 11.9um we found the
emission to be unresolved with no background sources which could be
contaminating the fluxes measured by IRAS. The age of this star is estimated to
be ~1Gyr. It is very unusual for such an old main sequence star to exhibit
significant mid-IR emission. The proximity of this source makes it a perfect
candidate for further study from optical to mm wavelengths to determine the
distribution of its dust.Comment: 22 pages, 4 figures. Scheduled for publication in ApJ 10 February
2005 issu
Transience of hot dust around sun-like stars
There is currently debate over whether the dust content of planetary systems
is stochastically regenerated or originates in planetesimal belts evolving in
steady state. In this paper a simple model for the steady state evolution of
debris disks due to collisions is developed and confronted with the properties
of the emerging population of 7 sun-like stars that have hot dust <10AU. The
model shows there is a maximum possible disk mass at a given age, since more
massive primordial disks process their mass faster. The corresponding maximum
dust luminosity is f_max=0.00016r^(7/3)/t_age. The majority (4/7) of the hot
disks exceed this limit by >1000 and so cannot be the products of massive
asteroid belts, rather the following systems must be undergoing transient
events characterized by an unusually high dust content near the star: eta
Corvi, HD69830, HD72905 and BD+20307. It is also shown that the hot dust cannot
originate in a recent collision in an asteroid belt, since there is also a
maximum rate at which collisions of sufficient magnitude to reproduce a given
dust luminosity can occur. Further it is shown that the planetesimal belt
feeding the dust in these systems must be located further from the star than
the dust, typically at >2AU. Other notable properties of the 4 hot dust systems
are: two also have a planetesimal belt at >10AU (eta Corvi and HD72905); one
has 3 Neptune mass planets at <1AU (HD69830); all exhibit strong silicate
features in the mid-IR. We consider the most likely origin for the dust in
these systems to be a dynamical instability which scattered planetesimals
inwards from a more distant planetesimal belt in an event akin to the Late
Heavy Bombardment in our own system, the dust being released from such
planetesimals in collisions and possibly also sublimation.Comment: 16 pages, accepted by ApJ, removed HD128400 as hot dust candidat
Herschel PACS Observations and Modeling of Debris Disks in the Tucana-Horologium Association
We present Herschel PACS photometry of seventeen B- to M-type stars in the 30
Myr-old Tucana-Horologium Association. This work is part of the Herschel Open
Time Key Programme "Gas in Protoplanetary Systems" (GASPS). Six of the
seventeen targets were found to have infrared excesses significantly greater
than the expected stellar IR fluxes, including a previously unknown disk around
HD30051. These six debris disks were fitted with single-temperature blackbody
models to estimate the temperatures and abundances of the dust in the systems.
For the five stars that show excess emission in the Herschel PACS photometry
and also have Spitzer IRS spectra, we fit the data with models of optically
thin debris disks with realistic grain properties in order to better estimate
the disk parameters. The model is determined by a set of six parameters:
surface density index, grain size distribution index, minimum and maximum grain
sizes, and the inner and outer radii of the disk. The best fitting parameters
give us constraints on the geometry of the dust in these systems, as well as
lower limits to the total dust masses. The HD105 disk was further constrained
by fitting marginally resolved PACS 70 micron imaging.Comment: 15 pages, 7 figures, Accepted to Ap
Gas and dust in the Beta Pictoris Moving Group as seen by the Herschel Space Observatory
Context. Debris discs are thought to be formed through the collisional
grinding of planetesimals, and can be considered as the outcome of planet
formation. Understanding the properties of gas and dust in debris discs can
help us to comprehend the architecture of extrasolar planetary systems.
Herschel Space Observatory far-infrared (IR) photometry and spectroscopy have
provided a valuable dataset for the study of debris discs gas and dust
composition. This paper is part of a series of papers devoted to the study of
Herschel PACS observations of young stellar associations.
Aims. This work aims at studying the properties of discs in the Beta Pictoris
Moving Group (BPMG) through far-IR PACS observations of dust and gas.
Methods. We obtained Herschel-PACS far-IR photometric observations at 70, 100
and 160 microns of 19 BPMG members, together with spectroscopic observations of
four of them. Spectroscopic observations were centred at 63.18 microns and 157
microns, aiming to detect [OI] and [CII] emission. We incorporated the new
far-IR observations in the SED of BPMG members and fitted modified blackbody
models to better characterise the dust content.
Results. We have detected far-IR excess emission toward nine BPMG members,
including the first detection of an IR excess toward HD 29391.The star HD
172555, shows [OI] emission, while HD 181296, shows [CII] emission, expanding
the short list of debris discs with a gas detection. No debris disc in BPMG is
detected in both [OI] and [CII]. The discs show dust temperatures in the range
55 to 264 K, with low dust masses (6.6*10^{-5} MEarth to 0.2 MEarth) and radii
from blackbody models in the range 3 to 82 AU. All the objects with a gas
detection are early spectral type stars with a hot dust component.Comment: 12 pages, 7 figures, 6 table
Galileo dust data from the jovian system: 2000 to 2003
The Galileo spacecraft was orbiting Jupiter between Dec 1995 and Sep 2003.
The Galileo dust detector monitored the jovian dust environment between about 2
and 370 R_J (jovian radius R_J = 71492 km). We present data from the Galileo
dust instrument for the period January 2000 to September 2003. We report on the
data of 5389 particles measured between 2000 and the end of the mission in
2003. The majority of the 21250 particles for which the full set of measured
impact parameters (impact time, impact direction, charge rise times, charge
amplitudes, etc.) was transmitted to Earth were tiny grains (about 10 nm in
radius), most of them originating from Jupiter's innermost Galilean moon Io.
Their impact rates frequently exceeded 10 min^-1. Surprisingly large impact
rates up to 100 min^-1 occurred in Aug/Sep 2000 when Galileo was at about 280
R_J from Jupiter. This peak in dust emission appears to coincide with strong
changes in the release of neutral gas from the Io torus. Strong variability in
the Io dust flux was measured on timescales of days to weeks, indicating large
variations in the dust release from Io or the Io torus or both on such short
timescales. Galileo has detected a large number of bigger micron-sized
particles mostly in the region between the Galilean moons. A surprisingly large
number of such bigger grains was measured in March 2003 within a 4-day interval
when Galileo was outside Jupiter's magnetosphere at approximately 350 R_J
jovicentric distance. Two passages of Jupiter's gossamer rings in 2002 and 2003
provided the first actual comparison of in-situ dust data from a planetary ring
with the results inferred from inverting optical images.Comment: 59 pages, 13 figures, 6 tables, submitted to Planetary and Space
Scienc
A peculiar class of debris disks from Herschel/DUNES - A steep fall off in the far infrared
Aims. We present photometric data of debris disks around HIP 103389 (HD
199260), HIP 107350 (HN Peg, HD206860), and HIP 114948 (HD 219482), obtained in
the context of our Herschel Open Time Key Program DUNES (DUst around NEarby
Stars). Methods. We used Herschel/PACS to detect the thermal emission of the
three debris disks with a 3 sigma sensitivity of a few mJy at 100 um and 160
um. In addition, we obtained Herschel/PACS photometric data at 70 um for HIP
103389. Two different approaches are applied to reduce the Herschel data to
investigate the impact of data reduction on the photometry. We fit analytical
models to the available spectral energy distribution (SED) data. Results. The
SEDs of the three disks potentially exhibit an unusually steep decrease at
wavelengths > 70 um. We investigate the significance of the peculiar shape of
these SEDs and the impact on models of the disks provided it is real. Our
modeling reveals that such a steep decrease of the SEDs in the long wavelength
regime is inconsistent with a power-law exponent of the grain size distribution
-3.5 expected from a standard equilibrium collisional cascade. In contrast, a
very distinct range of grain sizes is implied to dominate the thermal emission
of such disks. However, we demonstrate that the understanding of the data of
faint sources obtained with Herschel is still incomplete and that the
significance of our results depends on the version of the data reduction
pipeline used. Conclusions. A new mechanism to produce the dust in the
presented debris disks, deviations from the conditions required for a standard
equilibrium collisional cascade (grain size exponent of -3.5), and/or
significantly different dust properties would be necessary to explain the
potentially steep SED shape of the three debris disks presented. (abridged)Comment: 14 pages, 4 figures, accepted by A&
<i>Herschel</i> observations of the debris disc around HIP 92043
Context. Typical debris discs are composed of particles ranging from several micron sized dust grains to km sized asteroidal bodies, and their infrared emission peaks at wavelengths 60-100 μm. Recent Herschel DUNES observations have identified several debris discs around nearby Sun-like stars (F, G and K spectral type) with significant excess emission only at 160 μm.
Aims. We observed HIP 92043 (110 Her, HD 173667) at far-infrared and sub-millimetre wavelengths with Herschel PACS and SPIRE. Identification of the presence of excess emission from HIP 92043 and the origin and physical properties of any excess was undertaken through analysis of its spectral energy distribution (SED) and the PACS images.
Methods. The PACS and SPIRE images were produced using the HIPE photProject map maker routine. Fluxes were measured using aperture photometry. A stellar photosphere model was scaled to optical and near infrared photometry and subtracted from the far-infared and sub-mm fluxes to determine the presence of excess emission. Source radial profiles were fitted using a 2D Gaussian and compared to a PSF model based on Herschel observations of α Boo to check for extended emission.
Results. Clear excess emission from HIP 92043 was observed at 70 and 100 μm. Marginal excess was observed at 160 and 250 μm. Analysis of the images reveals that the source is extended at 160 μm. A fit to the source SED is inconsistent with a photosphere and single temperature black body.
Conclusions. The excess emission from HIP 92043 is consistent with the presence of an unresolved circumstellar debris disc at 70 and 100 μm, with low probability of background contamination. The extended 160 μm emission may be interpreted as an additional cold component to the debris disc or as the result of background contamination along the line of sight. The nature of the 160 μm excess cannot be determined absolutely from the available data, but we favour a debris disc interpretation, drawing parallels with previously identified cold disc sources in the DUNES sample
Optimal reaction coordinate as a biomarker for the dynamics of recovery from kidney transplant.
The evolution of disease or the progress of recovery of a patient is a complex process, which depends on many factors. A quantitative description of this process in real-time by a single, clinically measurable parameter (biomarker) would be helpful for early, informed and targeted treatment. Organ transplantation is an eminent case in which the evolution of the post-operative clinical condition is highly dependent on the individual case. The quality of management and monitoring of patients after kidney transplant often determines the long-term outcome of the graft. Using NMR spectra of blood samples, taken at different time points from just before to a week after surgery, we have shown that a biomarker can be found that quantitatively monitors the evolution of a clinical condition. We demonstrate that this is possible if the dynamics of the process is considered explicitly: the biomarker is defined and determined as an optimal reaction coordinate that provides a quantitatively accurate description of the stochastic recovery dynamics. The method, originally developed for the analysis of protein folding dynamics, is rigorous, robust and general, i.e., it can be applied in principle to analyze any type of biological dynamics. Such predictive biomarkers will promote improvement of long-term graft survival after renal transplantation, and have potentially unlimited applications as diagnostic tools
Other Kuiper Belts
When a main sequence star evolves into a red giant and its Kuiper Belt
Object's (KBO's) reach a temperature of about 170 K, the dust released during
the rapid ice-sublimation of these cometary bodies may lead to a detectable
infrared excess at 25 microns, depending upon the mass of the KBO's. Analysis
of IRAS data for 66 first ascent red giants with 200 L(Sun) < L < 300 L(Sun)
within 150 pc of the Sun provides an upper limit to the mass in KBO's at 45 AU
orbital radius that is usually less than about 0.1 M(Earth). With improved
infrared data, we may detect systems of KBO's around first ascent red giants
that are analogs to our Solar System's KBO's.Comment: 18 pages, 4 figures, accepted by Ap
The Vega Debris Disk -- A Surprise from Spitzer
We present high spatial resolution mid- and far-infrared images of the Vega
debris disk obtained with the Multiband Imaging Photometer for Spitzer (MIPS).
The disk is well resolved and its angular size is much larger than found
previously. The radius of the disk is at least 43" (330 AU), 70"(543 AU), and
105" (815 AU) in extent at 24, 70 and 160 um, respectively. The disk images are
circular, smooth and without clumpiness at all three wavelengths. The radial
surface brightness profiles imply an inner boundary at a radius of 11"+/-2" (86
AU). Assuming an amalgam of amorphous silicate and carbonaceous grains, the
disk can be modeled as an axially symmetric and geometrically thin disk, viewed
face-on, with the surface particle number density following an r^-1 power law.
The disk radiometric properties are consistent with a range of models using
grains of sizes ~1 to ~50 um. We find that a ring, containing grains larger
than 180 um and at radii of 86-200 AU from the star, can reproduce the observed
850 um flux, while its emission does not violate the observed MIPS profiles.
This ring could be associated with a population of larger asteroidal bodies
analogous to our own Kuiper Belt. Cascades of collisions starting with
encounters amongthese large bodies in the ring produce the small debris that is
blown outward by radiation pressure to much larger distances where we detect
its thermal emission. The dust production rate is >~10^15 g/s based on the MIPS
results. This rate would require a very massive asteroidal reservoir for the
dust to be produced in a steady state throughout Vega's life. Instead, we
suggest that the disk we imaged is ephemeral and that we are witnessing the
aftermath of a large and relatively recent collisional event, and subsequent
collisional cascade.Comment: 13 pages, 17 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ. (Figures 2,
3a, 3b and 4 have been degraded to lower resolutions.
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