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R.D. Gehrz, N. Smith (University of Minnesota), B. Jones, R. Puetter (University of California at San Diego), A. Yahil (State University of New York at Stony Brook)
We present high-resolution 3 to 20 micron images of the compact dust torus around the massive eclipsing binary RY Scuti. The images show complex structure less than 2 arcseconds across that is consistent with optically thin emission from a limb-brightened torus around a luminous central star. The 8.9, 11.7, and 12.5 micron images also show emission from an extended dust disk outside the torus. The spectral energy distribution of the emission from the torus reveals very strong silicate emission consistent with single temperature grains, combined with optically thin free-free emission from ionized gas. The inner edge of the torus is ionized by the central star and also shows emission from [Ne II] at 12.8 microns. We estimate the mass of the dust torus and the [Ne II] abundance, and we present a geometric model for the structure of the circumstellar nebula.