Hubble Space Telescope Optical Imaging of the Eroding Debris Disk HD 61005

Details Hubble Space Telescope Optical Imaging of the Eroding Debris Disk HD 61005 Hubble Space Telescope Optical Imaging of the Eroding Debris Disk HD 61005

2009-10-27

arxiv.org/abs/0910.5223v1

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astrophysics

Earth and Planetary Astrophysics

18 pages, 17 figures; Accepted to ApJ: 26 October 2009

Scientific paper

We present Hubble Space Telescope optical coronagraphic polarization imaging observations of the dusty debris disk HD 61005. The scattered light intensity image and polarization structure reveal a highly inclined disk with a clear asymmetric, swept back component, suggestive of significant interaction with the ambient interstellar medium. The combination of our new data with the published 1.1 micron discovery image shows that the grains are blue scattering with no strong color gradient as a function of radius, implying predominantly sub-micron sized grains. We investigate possible explanations that could account for the observed swept back, asymmetric morphology. Previous work has suggested that HD 61005 may be interacting with a cold, unusually dense interstellar cloud. However, limits on the intervening interstellar gas column density from an optical spectrum of HD 61005 in the Na I D lines render this possibility unlikely. Instead, HD 61005 may be embedded in a more typical warm, low-density cloud that introduces secular perturbations to dust grain orbits. This mechanism can significantly distort the ensemble disk structure within a typical cloud crossing time. For a counterintuitive relative flow direction--parallel to the disk midplane--we find that the structures generated by these distortions can very roughly approximate the HD 61005 morphology. Future observational studies constraining the direction of the relative interstellar medium flow will thus provide an important constraint for future modeling. Independent of the interpretation for HD 61005, we expect that interstellar gas drag likely plays a role in producing asymmetries observed in other debris disk systems, such as HD 15115 and Delta-Velorum.

Affiliated with

Also associated with

No associations

Rating

Hubble Space Telescope Optical Imaging of the Eroding Debris Disk HD 61005 does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.

If you have personal experience with Hubble Space Telescope Optical Imaging of the Eroding Debris Disk HD 61005, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Hubble Space Telescope Optical Imaging of the Eroding Debris Disk HD 61005 will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-717832