The Rise and Fall of Debris Disks: MIPS Observations of h and chi Persei and the Evolution of Mid-IR Emission from Planet Formation

Abstract

We describe Spitzer/MIPS observations of the double cluster, h and $\chi$ Persei, covering a $\sim$ 0.6 square-degree area surrounding the cores of both clusters. The data are combined with IRAC and 2MASS data to investigate $\sim$ 616 sources from 1.25-24 $\mu m$. We use the long-baseline $K_s$-[24] color to identify two populations with IR excess indicative of circumstellar material: Be stars with 24 $\mu m$ excess from optically-thin free free emission and 17 fainter sources (J$\sim$ 14-15) with [24] excess consistent with a circumstellar disk. The frequency of IR excess for the fainter sources increases from 4.5 $\mu m$ through 24 $\mu m$. The IR excess is likely due to debris from the planet formation process. The wavelength-dependent behavior is consistent with an inside-out clearing of circumstellar disks. A comparison of the 24 $\mu m$ excess population in h and $\chi$ Per sources with results for other clusters shows that 24 $\mu m$ emission from debris disks 'rises' from 5 to 10 Myr, peaks at $\sim$ 10-15 Myr, and then 'falls' from $\sim$ 15/20 Myr to 1 Gyr.

48 pages, 15 figures, accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal

References in corpus (9)

• Debris Disk Evolution Around A Stars
• Transience of hot dust around sun-like stars
• Binarity as a key factor in protoplanetary disk evolution: Spitzer disk census of the eta Chamaeleontis cluster
• IR observations of MS 1054-03: Star Formation and its Evolution in Rich Galaxy Clusters
• Spitzer 24 micron Survey of Debris Disks in the Pleiades
• Debris Disks in NGC 2547
• High-Resolution Imaging of the Dust Disk around 49 Ceti
• Terrestrial Zone Debris Disk Candidates in h and chi Persei
• Discovery of Gas Accretion Onto Stars in 13 Myr old h and chi Persei

Cited by in corpus (18)

• A Spitzer view of protoplanetary disks in the gamma Velorum cluster
• Variations on Debris Disks: Icy Planet Formation at 30-150 AU for 1-3 Solar Mass Main Sequence Stars
• Formation and Evolution of Planetary Systems (FEPS): Properties of Debris Dust around Solar-type Stars
• Spitzer/MIPS Observations of Stars in the Beta Pictoris Moving Group
• Five steps in the evolution from protoplanetary to debris disk
• A Sensitive Identification of Warm Debris Disks in the Solar Neighborhood Through Precise Calibration of Saturated WISE Photometry
• A Spitzer Study of Debris Disks In The Young Nearby Cluster NGC 2232: Icy Planets Are Common Around ~ 1.5--3 Solar-Mass Stars
• The nature of mid-infrared excesses from hot dust around Sun-like stars
• The Fate of Scattered Planets
• Subaru/SCExAO First-Light Direct Imaging of a Young Debris Disk around HD 36546
• The first 40 million years of circumstellar disk evolution: the signature of terrestrial planet formation
• A Deep Spitzer Survey of Circumstellar Disks in the Young Double Cluster, h and chi Persei
• Encounters in the ONC - observing imprints of star-disc interactions
• New M dwarf debris disk candidates in NGC 2547
• The X-Ray Environment During the Epoch of Terrestrial Planet Formation: Chandra Observations of h Persei
• The Frequency of Warm Debris Disks and Transition Disks in a Complete Sample of Intermediate-Mass GLIMPSE Stars: Placing Constraints on Disk Lifetimes
• Chandra Characterization of X-ray Emission in the Young F-Star Binary System HD 113766
• Multiband imaging of the HD 36546 debris disk: a refined view from SCExAO/CHARIS