Complex Organic Materials in the Circumstellar Disk of HR 4796A

We combine HST NICMOS imaging photometry of the HR 4796A disk at previously unobserved wavelengths between 1.71-2.22 mu m with reprocessed archival observations to produce a measure of the dust's scattering efficiency as a function of wavelength. The spectrum of the dust, synthesized from the s...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Astrophysical journal 2008-02, Vol.673 (2), p.L191-L194
Main Authors: Debes, John H, Weinberger, Alycia J, Schneider, Glenn
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Astronomy
Earth, ocean, space
Exact sciences and technology
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Summary:We combine HST NICMOS imaging photometry of the HR 4796A disk at previously unobserved wavelengths between 1.71-2.22 mu m with reprocessed archival observations to produce a measure of the dust's scattering efficiency as a function of wavelength. The spectrum of the dust, synthesized from the seven photometric measures, is characterized by a steep red slope increasing from 0.5 to 1.6 mu m followed by a flattening of the spectrum at wavelengths >1.6 mu m. We fit the spectrum with a model population of dust grains made of tholins, materials composed of complex organic materials seen throughout the outer parts of our solar system. The presence of organic material around a star that may be in the later stages of giant planet formation implies that the basic building blocks for life may be common in planetary systems.
ISSN:1538-4357
0004-637X
1538-4357
DOI:10.1086/527546