Discovery of the Fomalhaut C debris disc

G.M. Kennedy; M.C. Wyatt; P. Kalas; G. Duchêne; B. Sibthorpe; J.-F. Lestrade; B.C. Matthews; J. Greaves

doi:10.1093/mnrasl/slt168

Discovery of the Fomalhaut C debris disc

G.M. Kennedy, M.C. Wyatt, P. Kalas, G. Duchêne, B. Sibthorpe, J.-F. Lestrade, B.C. Matthews, J. Greaves

School of Physics and Astronomy

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

Fomalhaut is one of the most interesting and well-studied nearby stars, hosting at least one planet, a spectacular debris ring and two distant low-mass stellar companions (TW PsA and LP 876-10, a.k.a. Fomalhaut B and C). We observed both companions with Herschel, and while no disc was detected around the secondary, TW PsA, we have discovered the second debris disc in the Fomalhaut system, around LP 876-10. This detection is only the second case of two debris discs seen in a multiple system, both of which are relatively wide (≳3000 au for HD 223352/40 and 158 kau [0.77 pc] for Fomalhaut/LP 876-10). The disc is cool (24K) and relatively bright, with a fractional luminosity L_disc/L_⋆ = 1.2 × 10⁻⁴, and represents the rare observation of a debris disc around an M dwarf. Further work should attempt to find if the presence of two discs in the Fomalhaut system is coincidental, perhaps simply due to the relatively young system age of 440 Myr, or if the stellar components have dynamically interacted and the system is even more complex than it currently appears.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	L96-L100
Number of pages	5
Journal	Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
Volume	438
Issue number	1
Early online date	17 Dec 2013
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1093/mnrasl/slt168
Publication status	Published - 11 Feb 2014

Keywords

Binaries: general
Circumstellar matter
Stars: individual: AT Mic
Stars: individual: Fomalhaut
Stars: individual: LP 876−10
Stars: individual: TW PsA

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10.1093/mnrasl/slt168

Greaves_2014_MNRAS_Discovery
© 2013 The Authors Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society
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Astrophysics at St Andrews:2012 - 2014: Astrophysics at St Andrews: 2012 - 2014
Horne, K. D. (PI)
Science & Technology Facilities Council
1/10/11 → 31/03/12
Project: Standard

Cite this

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title = "Discovery of the Fomalhaut C debris disc",

abstract = "Fomalhaut is one of the most interesting and well-studied nearby stars, hosting at least one planet, a spectacular debris ring and two distant low-mass stellar companions (TW PsA and LP 876-10, a.k.a. Fomalhaut B and C). We observed both companions with Herschel, and while no disc was detected around the secondary, TW PsA, we have discovered the second debris disc in the Fomalhaut system, around LP 876-10. This detection is only the second case of two debris discs seen in a multiple system, both of which are relatively wide (≳3000 au for HD 223352/40 and 158 kau [0.77 pc] for Fomalhaut/LP 876-10). The disc is cool (24K) and relatively bright, with a fractional luminosity Ldisc/L⋆ = 1.2 × 10−4, and represents the rare observation of a debris disc around an M dwarf. Further work should attempt to find if the presence of two discs in the Fomalhaut system is coincidental, perhaps simply due to the relatively young system age of 440 Myr, or if the stellar components have dynamically interacted and the system is even more complex than it currently appears.",

keywords = "Binaries: general, Circumstellar matter, Stars: individual: AT Mic, Stars: individual: Fomalhaut, Stars: individual: LP 876−10, Stars: individual: TW PsA",

author = "G.M. Kennedy and M.C. Wyatt and P. Kalas and G. Duch{\^e}ne and B. Sibthorpe and J.-F. Lestrade and B.C. Matthews and J. Greaves",

note = "This work was supported by the European Union through ERC grant number 279973 (GMK & MCW). PK acknowledges support from NASA award NNX11AD21G, NSF award AST-0909188 and JPL/NASA award NMO711043. ",

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AU - Duchêne, G.

AU - Sibthorpe, B.

AU - Lestrade, J.-F.

AU - Matthews, B.C.

AU - Greaves, J.

N1 - This work was supported by the European Union through ERC grant number 279973 (GMK & MCW). PK acknowledges support from NASA award NNX11AD21G, NSF award AST-0909188 and JPL/NASA award NMO711043.

PY - 2014/2/11

Y1 - 2014/2/11

N2 - Fomalhaut is one of the most interesting and well-studied nearby stars, hosting at least one planet, a spectacular debris ring and two distant low-mass stellar companions (TW PsA and LP 876-10, a.k.a. Fomalhaut B and C). We observed both companions with Herschel, and while no disc was detected around the secondary, TW PsA, we have discovered the second debris disc in the Fomalhaut system, around LP 876-10. This detection is only the second case of two debris discs seen in a multiple system, both of which are relatively wide (≳3000 au for HD 223352/40 and 158 kau [0.77 pc] for Fomalhaut/LP 876-10). The disc is cool (24K) and relatively bright, with a fractional luminosity Ldisc/L⋆ = 1.2 × 10−4, and represents the rare observation of a debris disc around an M dwarf. Further work should attempt to find if the presence of two discs in the Fomalhaut system is coincidental, perhaps simply due to the relatively young system age of 440 Myr, or if the stellar components have dynamically interacted and the system is even more complex than it currently appears.

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KW - Binaries: general

KW - Circumstellar matter

KW - Stars: individual: AT Mic

KW - Stars: individual: Fomalhaut

KW - Stars: individual: LP 876−10

KW - Stars: individual: TW PsA

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JO - Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters

JF - Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters

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ER -

Discovery of the Fomalhaut C debris disc

Abstract

Keywords

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Astrophysics at St Andrews:2012 - 2014: Astrophysics at St Andrews: 2012 - 2014

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