[33.07] Early Spitzer Results for Spatially Resolved Debris Disks

AAS 204th Meeting, June 2004
Session 33 Early Science Results from the Spitzer Space Telescope
Topical Session, Tuesday, June 1, 2004, 8:30-10:00am, 10:45am-12:30pm, 2:30-4:00pm, 4:15-6:00pm, 601

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[33.07] Early Spitzer Results for Spatially Resolved Debris Disks

K.R. Stapelfeldt, M.W. Werner (JPL/Caltech), G. Rieke (Arizona), C.A. Beichman (JPL/Caltech), C. Chen (JPL/NRC), D.C. Hines (SSI), E.K. Holmes (JPL/NRC), M. Jura (UCLA), M. Marengo, S.T. Megeath (CfA), J. Stansberry, K. Su (Arizona), J.E. Van Cleve (Ball Aerospace), T. Velusamy (JPL/Caltech), G.G. Fazio (CfA), J.R. Houck (Cornell)

We present an overview of the first Spitzer results for the four spatially resolved debris disks Fomalhaut, beta Pictoris, epsilon Eridani, and Vega. Our science goals are to study the disk spatial structure from MIPS imaging, the dust grain composition using IRS and MIPS SED mode, and to search for substellar companions with IRAC. Disk asymmetries observed in Fomalhaut may indicate dynamical perturbations from unseen planets. The Fomalhaut and eps Eri disks, which appear as rings in submillimeter maps, have their central regions partially filled in by warm dust in the MIPS images. We will also report on long-slit spectroscopy of beta Pic, and the expected first observations of Vega. Results from these studies of resolved disks will lay the foundation for understanding the thousands of additional debris disks that Spitzer will detect photometrically.

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