Resolved Millimeter Emission from the HD 15115 Debris Disk

摘要: We have used the Submillimeter Array (SMA) to make 1.3 millimeter observations of debris disk surrounding HD 15115, an F-type star with a putative membership in beta Pictoris moving group. This nearly edge-on shows extreme asymmetry optical scattered light, extent almost two times larger west than east (originally dubbed "Blue Needle"). The SMA reveal resolved emission that we model as circumstellar belt thermal dust emission. extends radius ~110 AU, coincident break light profile convincingly seen on western side disk. outer edge location is consistent presence underlying population dust-producing planetesimals undergoing collisional cascade, hypothesized "birth ring" theory. In addition, ~3 sigma feature aligned asymmetric extension If this real, then mechanisms for affect only small grains, such interactions interstellar gas, are disfavored. tentative might be explained by secular perturbations grain orbits introduced neutral gas drag, previously invoked explain morphologies other, similar disks.