Optical polarimetry and thermal imaging of the disc around Beta PictorisThe dust disk around the main-sequence A5 star Beta Pic is characterized on the basis of recently obtained data. Optical polarimetry indicates that the disk has polarization of about 15 percent and polarization vectors normal to the scattering plane, indicating that the features observed are indeed a dust disk made visible by scattering. Thermal images of the central 13-arcsec-diameter region, obtained at 10 and 20 microns by Telesco et al. (1988) using the NASA Marshall 20-pixel bolometer array, suggest that the dust grains in the disk have a mean diameter of 1 micron or smaller. Also discussed are (1) unsuccessful searches for other nearby stars with disks and (2) the potential value of Hubble Space Telescope images for understanding the structure of Beta Pic.
Document ID
19900064402
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Wolstencroft, R. D. (Royal Observatory Edinburgh, United Kingdom)
Scarrott, S. M. (Royal Observatory Edinburgh, United Kingdom)
Warren-Smith, R. F. (Durham, University United Kingdom)
Telesco, C. M. (Royal Observatory Edinburgh, United Kingdom)
Decher, R. (NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Huntsville, AL, United States)