Debris disks at the epoch of terrestrial planet formation

Physics

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Scientific paper

We propose Spitzer near- and mid-IR (24 micron) observations of 50 solar-type stars in the young open cluster IC 4665 (age 27 +/- 5 Myr). Current models for the assembly of terrestrial planets by the merging and collision of planitesimals and planetary embryos predict substantial dust debris disks at 0.5-3 AU around solar-type stars, that radiate strongly at 24 microns. We will search for the frequency and strength of this signature and assess the diversity of debris disk properties at an epoch during which our own Earth-Moon system was being formed. The distribution of mid-IR excesses will depend on the frequency with which ~1000 km planetary embryos collide and the speed at which dust is cleared from the system. The ultimate aim of such research is to understand whether the architecture of our Sun's terrestrial planetary system is a common outcome of the star and planetary formation process. IC 4665 fills an important age-gap in our empirical knowledge of debris-disk evolution -- the epoch in which planetary embryo collisions may be at a maximum. Our modest proposed IRAC/MIPS survey can search for debris-disks around a similar sized (and chemically homogeneous) sample to that contained in the entire FEPS legacy program with ages 10-50 Myr.

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