IRTF/SpeX and Spitzer/IRS spectra of beta Pictoris

While {beta} Pic is known to host silicates in ring-like structures, whether the properties of these silicate dust vary with stellocentric distance remains an open question. We re-analyze the {beta} Pictoris debris disk spectrum from the Spitzer Infrared Spectrograph (IRS) and a new Infrared Telescope Facility Spectrograph and Imager spectrum to investigate trends in Fe/Mg ratio, shape, and crystallinity in grains as a function of wavelength, a proxy for stellocentric distance. By analyzing a re-calibrated and re-extracted spectrum, we identify a new 18um forsterite emission feature and recover a 23um forsterite emission feature with a substantially larger line-to-continuum ratio than previously reported. We find that these prominent spectral features are primarily produced by small submicron-sized grains, which are continuously generated and replenished from planetesimal collisions in the disk and can elucidate their parent bodies' composition. We discover three trends about these small grains: as stellocentric distance increases, (1) small silicate grains become more crystalline (less amorphous), (2) they become more irregular in shape, and (3) for crystalline silicate grains, the Fe/Mg ratio decreases. Applying these trends to {beta} Pic's planetary architecture, we find that the dust population exterior to the orbits of {beta} Pic b and c differs substantially in crystallinity and shape. We also find a tentative 3-5um dust excess due to spatially unresolved hot dust emission close to the star. From our findings, we infer that the surfaces of large planetesimals are more Fe-rich and collisionally processed closer to the star but more Fe-poor and primordial farther from the star.

Identifier
Source https://dc.g-vo.org/rr/q/lp/custom/CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/933/54
Related Identifier https://cdsarc.cds.unistra.fr/viz-bin/cat/J/ApJ/933/54
Related Identifier http://vizier.cds.unistra.fr/viz-bin/VizieR-2?-source=J/ApJ/933/54
Metadata Access http://dc.g-vo.org/rr/q/pmh/pubreg.xml?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=oai_b2find&identifier=ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/933/54
Provenance
Creator Lu C.X.; Chen C.H.; Sargent B.A.; Watson D.M.; Lisse C.M.; Green J.D.,Sitko M.L.; Mittal T.; Lebouteiller V.; Sloan G.C.; Rebollido I.,Hines D.C.; Girard J.H.; Werner M.W.; Stapelfeldt K.R.; Wu W.; Worthen K.
Publisher CDS
Publication Year 2024
Rights https://cds.unistra.fr/vizier-org/licences_vizier.html
OpenAccess true
Contact CDS support team <cds-question(at)unistra.fr>
Representation
Resource Type Dataset; AstroObjects
Discipline Astrophysics and Astronomy; Exoplanet Astronomy; Interdisciplinary Astronomy; Natural Sciences; Observational Astronomy; Physics; Stellar Astronomy