The AU Mic debris ring: density profile and dynamics of the dust

Details The AU Mic debris ring: density profile and dynamics of the dust The AU Mic debris ring: density profile and dynamics of the dust

Oct 2005

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2005nrdd.conf....3a&link_type=abstract

Proceedings of the Miniworkshop on Nearby Resolved Debris Disks. October 19-20, 2005. Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimo

Physics

Scientific paper

AU Mic is an M-type star surrounded by a debris disk that is viewed almost perfectly edge-on. This disk shares many common observational properties with the well-known disk orbiting Beta Pictoris but the properties of the AU Mic disk as well as the dynamics of the dust grains have not been studied in detail yet.
Using a standard deprojection technique, we derive the surface density profile of the AU Mic disk from near-IR scattered light observations. We show that irrespective of the asymmetry parameter of the phase function, most of the dust emission arises from a ring-like region that extends from 30 to 45 AU. We estimate that the mean collision time-scale at these distances is of the order of a few 10000 years. Therefore, collisional evolution can happen.
A striking common feature between AU Mic and Beta Pic is the surface brightness profile. In both cases, the surface brightness falls off as r^{-5} further away than 120 AU in the case of Beta Pic and 35 AU in the case of AU Mic. In the case of Beta Pic, this profile is well explained by the combined effect of collisions and radiation pressure on the smallest dust particules (e.g. Augereau et al. 2001). But this model does not apply to AU Mic because of its low luminosity (thus generating a too low radiation pressure). Conversely, we show that a standard, solar-like stellar wind generates a drag force onto dust particles that behaves much like a radiation pressure. This wind pressure appears stronger than the radiation pressure itself and this effect is considerably enhanced by the recurrent stellar flares of AU Mic. This greatly contributes to populating the extended debris disk of AU Mic and explains the similarity between the Beta Pic and AU Mic brightness profiles.

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