Discovery of a large dust disk around the nearby star AU Microscopium

Abstract

We present the discovery of a circumstellar dust disk surrounding AU Microscopium (AU Mic, GJ 803, HD 197481). This young M star at 10 parsec has the same age and origin as beta Pictoris, another nearby star surrounded by a dust disk. The AU Mic disk is detected between 50 AU and 210 AU radius, a region where dust lifetimes exceed the present stellar age. Thus, AU Mic is the nearest star where we directly observe the solid material required for planet formation. Since 85% of stars are M-type, the AU Mic disk provides new clues on how the majority of planetary systems might form and evolve.

Manuscript and Supporting Online Material (16 pgs, 7 figs, 2 tables). Published online in Science Express (26 Feb. 2004); To appear in print in Science (2004)