Change search
Link to record
Permanent link

Direct link
Alternative names
Publications (2 of 2) Show all publications
Boccaletti, A., Sezestre, E., Lagrange, A.-M., Thebault, P., Gratton, R., Langlois, M., . . . Rigal, F. (2018). Observations of fast-moving features in the debris disk of AU Mic on a three-year timescale: Confirmation and new discoveries. Astronomy and Astrophysics, 614, Article ID A52.
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Observations of fast-moving features in the debris disk of AU Mic on a three-year timescale: Confirmation and new discoveries
Show others...
2018 (English)In: Astronomy and Astrophysics, ISSN 0004-6361, E-ISSN 1432-0746, Vol. 614, article id A52Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

Context. The nearby and young M star AU Mic is surrounded by a debris disk in which we previously identified a series of large-scale arch-like structures that have never been seen before in any other debris disk and that move outward at high velocities. Aims. We initiated a monitoring program with the following objectives: (1) track the location of the structures and better constrain their projected speeds, (2) search for new features emerging closer in, and ultimately (3) understand the mechanism responsible for the motion and production of the disk features. Methods. AU Mic was observed at 11 different epochs between August 2014 and October 2017 with the IR camera and spectrograph of SPHERE. These high-contrast imaging data were processed with a variety of angular, spectral, and polarimetric differential imaging techniques to reveal the faintest structures in the disk. We measured the projected separations of the features in a systematic way for all epochs. We also applied the very same measurements to older observations from the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) with the visible cameras STIS and ACS. Results. The main outcomes of this work are (1) the recovery of the five southeastern broad arch-like structures we identified in our first study, and confirmation of their fast motion (projected speed in the range 4-12 km s(-1) ); (2) the confirmation that the very first structures observed in 2004 with ACS are indeed connected to those observed later with STIS and now SPHERE; (3) the discovery of two new very compact structures at the northwest side of the disk (at 0.40 '' and 0.55 '' in May 2015) that move to the southeast at low speed; and (4) the identification of a new arch-like structure that might be emerging at the southeast side at about 0.4 from the star (as of May 2016). Conclusions. Although the exquisite sensitivity of SPHERE allows one to follow the evolution not only of the projected separation, but also of the specific morphology of each individual feature, it remains difficult to distinguish between possible dynamical scenarios that may explain the observations. Understanding the exact origin of these features, the way they are generated, and their evolution over time is certainly a significant challenge in the context of planetary system formation around M stars.

Keywords
stars: individual: AU Mic, circumstellar matter, planetary systems, planet-disk interactions, techniques: high angular resolution, techniques: image processing
National Category
Astronomy, Astrophysics and Cosmology
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:su:diva-158262 (URN)10.1051/0004-6361/201732462 (DOI)000435437000001 ()
Available from: 2018-08-06 Created: 2018-08-06 Last updated: 2022-03-23Bibliographically approved
Maire, A.-L. -., Rodet, L., Lazzoni, C., Boccaletti, A., Brandner, W., Galicher, R., . . . Weber, L. (2018). VLT/SPHERE astrometric confirmation and orbital analysis of the brown dwarf companion HR 2562 B. Astronomy and Astrophysics, 615, Article ID A177.
Open this publication in new window or tab >>VLT/SPHERE astrometric confirmation and orbital analysis of the brown dwarf companion HR 2562 B
Show others...
2018 (English)In: Astronomy and Astrophysics, ISSN 0004-6361, E-ISSN 1432-0746, Vol. 615, article id A177Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

Context. A low-mass brown dwarf has recently been imaged around HR 2562 (HD 50571), a star hosting a debris disk resolved in the far infrared. Interestingly, the companion location is compatible with an orbit coplanar with the disk and interior to the debris belt. This feature makes the system a valuable laboratory to analyze the formation of substellar companions in a circumstellar disk and potential disk-companion dynamical interactions. Aims. We aim to further characterize the orbital motion of HR 2562 B and its interactions with the host star debris disk. Methods. We performed a monitoring of the system over similar to 10 months in 2016 and 2017 with the VLT/SPHERE exoplanet imager. Results. We confirm that the companion is comoving with the star and detect for the first time an orbital motion at high significance, with a current orbital motion projected in the plane of the sky of 25 mas (similar to 0.85 au) per year. No orbital curvature is seen in the measurements. An orbital fit of the SPHERE and literature astrometry of the companion without priors on the orbital plane clearly indicates that its orbit is (quasi-)coplanar with the disk. To further constrain the other orbital parameters, we used empirical laws for a companion chaotic zone validated by N-body simulations to test the orbital solutions that are compatible with the estimated disk cavity size. Non-zero eccentricities (>0.15) are allowed for orbital periods shorter than 100 yr, while only moderate eccentricities up to similar to 0.3 for orbital periods longer than 200 yr are compatible with the disk observations. A comparison of synthetic Herschel images to the real data does not allow us to constrain the upper eccentricity of the companion.

Keywords
brown dwarfs, methods: data analysis, stars: individual: HR 2562, planets and satellites: dynamical evolution and stability, techniques: high angular resolution, techniques: image processing
National Category
Astronomy, Astrophysics and Cosmology
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:su:diva-160128 (URN)10.1051/0004-6361/201732476 (DOI)000440875500005 ()
Available from: 2018-09-19 Created: 2018-09-19 Last updated: 2022-02-26Bibliographically approved
Identifiers
ORCID iD: ORCID iD iconorcid.org/0000-0002-2725-6415

Search in DiVA

Show all publications