Prospecting for planets in circumstellar dust: sifting the evidence from β Pictoris

摘要: Spectroscopic evidence for an extended gaseous shell around the A5V star β Pictoris has been available more than a decade1–5. Recently, presence of vast circumstellar cloud particles was deduced from Infrared Astronomy Satellite (IRAS) measurements excess thermal flux6–8. This interpretation is supported by near-infrared (0.89 µm) coronagraphic image region beyond 100 AU Pic, which shows scattered starlight in configuration consistent with disk viewed nearly edge-on9. Conceivably, Pic system may represent one phase planetary evolution. From analysis visible photometry and their coronagraph data, Smith Terrile9 suggested that accretion swept out extensive (∼30 AU) clearing at centre disk. We report here new same data results including IRAS observations analysis. The consequent models do not produce large inner suggest alternatively significant particle number densities occur within several star. An illustrative case used to evaluate short-wavelength detectibility disks less favourable orientations surrounding Pic.