Millimeter observations of debris disks around solar-type stars

Tracing the evolution of debris discs is essential for our understanding of planetary system architecture. While the evolution of their inner discs has been recently studied with Spitzer at the infrared wavelengths, the outer discs can be best characterized by sensitive (sub)millimeter observations. Two deep surveys of circumstellar discs around solar-type stars at different ages were carried at 350micron with CSO and at 1.2mm with IRAM. The dust disc mass was computed from the millimeter emission, where the disc was assumed to be optically thin. The statistical analysis we have carried out allows us to conclude that the debris discs are collision dominated and that the cascade of small grains produced is blown out from the system by radiation pressure. The sub-millimeter and millimeter surveys also allow us to characterize the debris discs by modelling their spectral energy distribution.

 

Fecha: 
17/01/2008 - 13:30
Conferenciante: 
Veronica Roccatagliata
Filiación: 
Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics, Heidelberg


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