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| Paper: |
Evidence for Comet-Like Bodies Around the 12 Myr Old Star β Pictoris |
| Volume: |
348, Astrophysics in the Far Ultraviolet: Five Years of Discovery with FUSE |
| Page: |
294 |
| Authors: |
Roberge, A.; Lecavelier des Etangs, A.; Vidal-Madjar, A.; Feldman, P.D.; Deleuil, M.; Bouret, J.-C.; Ferlet, R. |
| Abstract: |
Most nearby young stars are now known to be surrounded by disks of gas and dust, which may be the sites of current or recent planet formation. One class of disks are debris disks, which are believed to be young, dense analogues of our Kuiper and asteroid belts. These disks provide a window onto the early evolution of planetary systems, since it is likely that most of the volatile content of the Earth's surface was delivered during the debris phase by the impact of water-rich planetesimals. We discuss far-UV spectroscopy of molecular gas in the 12 million year old debris disk system β Pictoris. Detection of CO using the Hubble Space Telescope contrasted with limits on H2 using the Far-Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer provides some of the first evidence for the presence of icy bodies similar to Solar System comets in this disk. |
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