Ned-allsky

New Debris-Disk Candidates: 24 Micron Stellar Excesses at 100 Million years

September 2004 • 2004ApJS..154..448G

Authors • Gorlova, Nadya • Padgett, Deborah L. • Rieke, George H. • Muzerolle, James • Morrison, Jane E. • Gordon, Karl D. • Engelbracht, Chad W. • Hines, Dean C. • Hinz, Joannah C. • Noriega-Crespo, Alberto • Rebull, Luisa • Stansberry, John A. • Stapelfeldt, Karl R. • Su, Kate Y. L. • Young, Erick T.

Abstract • Sixty-three members of the 100 Myr old open cluster M47 (NGC 2422) have been detected at 24 μm with the Spitzer Space Telescope. The Be star V 378 Pup shows an excess both in the near-infrared and at 24 μm (K-[24]=2.4 mag), probably due to free-free emission from the gaseous envelope. Seven other early-type stars show smaller excesses, K-[24]=0.6-0.9. Among late-type stars, two show large excesses: P922, a K1 V star with K-[24]=1.08+/-0.11, and P1121, an F9 V star with K-[24]=3.72+/-0.02. P1121 is the first known main-sequence star showing an excess comparable to that of β Pic, which may indicate the presence of an exceptionally massive debris disk. It is possible that a major planetesimal collision has occurred in this system, consistent with the few hundred Myr timescales estimated for the clearing of the solar system.

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Luisa Rebull

Senior Research Scientist