No Arabic abstract
We present far- and near-ultraviolet absorption spectroscopy of the $sim$23 Myr edge-on debris disk surrounding the A0V star $eta$ Telescopii, obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph. We detect absorption lines from C I, C II, O I, Mg II, Al II, Si II, S II, Mn II, Fe II, and marginally N I. The lines show two clear absorption components at $-22.7pm0.5$ km s$^{-1}$ and $-17.8pm0.7$ km s$^{-1}$, which we attribute to circumstellar (CS) and interstellar (IS) gas, respectively. CO absorption is not detected, and we find no evidence for star-grazing exocomets. The CS absorption components are blueshifted by $-16.9pm2.6$ km s$^{-1}$ in the stars reference frame, indicating that they are outflowing in a radiatively driven disk wind. We find that the C/Fe ratio in the $eta$ Tel CS gas is significantly higher than the solar ratio, as is the case in the $beta$ Pic and 49 Cet debris disks. Unlike those disks, however, the measured C/O ratio in the $eta$ Tel CS gas is consistent with the solar value. Our analysis shows that because $eta$ Tel is an earlier type star than $beta$ Pic and 49 Cet, with more substantial radiation pressure at the dominant C II transitions, this species cannot bind the CS gas disk to the star as it does for $beta$ Pic and 49 Cet, resulting in the disk wind.
This article reports quasi-continuous transiting events towards WD 1054-226 at d=36.2 pc and V=16.0 mag, based on simultaneous, high-cadence, multi-wavelength imaging photometry using ULTRACAM over 18 nights from 2019 to 2020 March. The predominant period is 25.02 h, and corresponds to a circular orbit with blackbody Teq = 323 K, where a planetary surface can nominally support liquid water. The light curves reveal remarkable night-to-night similarity, with changes on longer timescales, and lack any transit-free segments of unocculted starlight. The most pronounced dimming components occur every 23.1 min -- exactly the 65th harmonic of the fundamental period -- with depths of up to several per cent, and no evident color dependence. Myriad additional harmonics are present, as well as at least two transiting features with independent periods, one longer and one shorter than, yet both similar to, the underlying period. High-resolution optical spectra are consistent with stable, photospheric absorption by multiple, refractory metal species, with no indication of circumstellar gas. Spitzer observations demonstrate a lack of detectable dust emission, suggesting that the otherwise hidden circumstellar disk orbiting WD 1054-226 may be typical of polluted white dwarfs, and only detected via favorable geometry. Future observations are required to constrain the orbital eccentricity, but even if periastron is near the Roche limit, sublimation cannot drive mass loss in refractory parent bodies, and collisional disintegration is necessary for dust production.
We have obtained a full suite of Spitzer observations to characterize the debris disk around HR 8799 and to explore how its properties are related to the recently discovered set of three massive planets orbiting the star. We distinguish three components to the debris system: (1) warm dust (T ~150 K) orbiting within the innermost planet; (2) a broad zone of cold dust (T ~45 K) with a sharp inner edge, orbiting just outside the outermost planet and presumably sculpted by it; and (3) a dramatic halo of small grains originating in the cold dust component. The high level of dynamical activity implied by this halo may arise due to enhanced gravitational stirring by the massive planets. The relatively young age of HR 8799 places it in an important early stage of development and may provide some help in understanding the interaction of planets and planetary debris, an important process in the evolution of our own solar system.
We present ALMA mosaic observations at 1.3 mm (223 GHz) of the Fomalhaut system with a sensitivity of 14 $mu$Jy/beam. These observations provide the first millimeter map of the continuum dust emission from the complete outer debris disk with uniform sensitivity, enabling the first conclusive detection of apocenter glow. We adopt a MCMC modeling approach that accounts for the eccentric orbital parameters of a collection of particles within the disk. The outer belt is radially confined with an inner edge of $136.3pm0.9$ AU and width of $13.5pm1.8$ AU. We determine a best-fit eccentricity of $0.12pm0.01$. Assuming a size distribution power law index of $q=3.46pm 0.09$, we constrain the dust absorptivity power law index $beta$ to be $0.9<beta<1.5$. The geometry of the disk is robustly constrained with inclination $65.!!^circ6pm0.!!^circ3$, position angle $337.!!^circ9pm0.!!^circ3$, and argument of periastron $22.!!^circ5pm4.!!^circ3$. Our observations do not confirm any of the azimuthal features found in previous imaging studies of the disk with HST, SCUBA, and ALMA. However, we cannot rule out structures $leq10$ AU in size or which only affect smaller grains. The central star is clearly detected with a flux density of $0.75pm0.02$ mJy, significantly lower than predicted by current photospheric models. We discuss the implications of these observations for the directly imaged Fomalhaut b and the inner dust belt detected at infrared wavelengths.
We combine nulling interferometry at 10 {mu}m using the MMT and Keck Telescopes with spectroscopy, imaging, and photometry from 3 to 100 {mu}m using Spitzer to study the debris disk around {beta} Leo over a broad range of spatial scales, corresponding to radii of 0.1 to ~100 AU. We have also measured the close binary star o Leo with both Keck and MMT interferometers to verify our procedures with these instruments. The {beta} Leo debris system has a complex structure: 1.) relatively little material within 1 AU; 2.) an inner component with a color temperature of ~600 K, fitted by a dusty ring from about 2 to 3 AU; and 3.) a second component with a color temperature of ~120 K fitted by a broad dusty emission zone extending from about ~5 AU to ~55 AU. Unlike many other A-type stars with debris disks, {beta} Leo lacks a dominant outer belt near 100 AU.
We present a newly discovered correlation between the wind outflow velocity and the X-ray luminosity in the luminous ($L_{rm bol}sim10^{47},rm erg,s^{-1}$) nearby ($z=0.184$) quasar PDS,456. All the contemporary XMM-Newton, NuSTAR and Suzaku observations from 2001--2014 were revisited and we find that the centroid energy of the blueshifted Fe,K absorption profile increases with luminosity. This translates into a correlation between the wind outflow velocity and the hard X-ray luminosity (between 7--30,keV) where we find that $v_{rm w}/c propto L_{7-30}^{gamma}$ where $gamma=0.22pm0.04$. We also show that this is consistent with a wind that is predominately radiatively driven, possibly resulting from the high Eddington ratio of PDS,456.