Direct Imaging of the HD 35841 Debris Disk: A Polarized Dust Ring from Gemini Planet Imager and an Outer Halo from HST/STIS

August 2018 • 2018AJ....156...47E

Authors • Esposito, Thomas M. • Duchêne, Gaspard • Kalas, Paul • Rice, Malena • Choquet, Élodie • Ren, Bin • Perrin, Marshall D. • Chen, Christine H. • Arriaga, Pauline • Chiang, Eugene • Nielsen, Eric L. • Graham, James R. • Wang, Jason J. • De Rosa, Robert J. • Follette, Katherine B. • Ammons, S. Mark • Ansdell, Megan • Bailey, Vanessa P. • Barman, Travis • Sebastián Bruzzone, Juan • Bulger, Joanna • Chilcote, Jeffrey • Cotten, Tara • Doyon, Rene • Fitzgerald, Michael P. • Goodsell, Stephen J. • Greenbaum, Alexandra Z. • Hibon, Pascale • Hung, Li-Wei • Ingraham, Patrick • Konopacky, Quinn • Larkin, James E. • Macintosh, Bruce • Maire, Jérôme • Marchis, Franck • Marois, Christian • Mazoyer, Johan • Metchev, Stanimir • Millar-Blanchaer, Maxwell A. • Oppenheimer, Rebecca • Palmer, David • Patience, Jennifer • Poyneer, Lisa • Pueyo, Laurent • Rajan, Abhijith • Rameau, Julien • Rantakyrö, Fredrik T. • Ryan, Dominic • Savransky, Dmitry • Schneider, Adam C. • Sivaramakrishnan, Anand • Song, Inseok • Soummer, Rémi • Thomas, Sandrine • Wallace, J. Kent • Ward-Duong, Kimberly • Wiktorowicz, Sloane • Wolff, Schuyler

Abstract • We present new high resolution imaging of a light-scattering dust ring and halo around the young star HD 35841. Using spectroscopic and polarimetric data from the Gemini Planet Imager in H-band (1.6 μm), we detect the highly inclined (i = 85°) ring of debris down to a projected separation of ∼12 au (∼0.″12) for the first time. Optical imaging from HST/STIS shows a smooth dust halo extending outward from the ring to >140 au (>1.″4). We measure the ring’s scattering phase function and polarization fraction over scattering angles of 22°-125°, showing a preference for forward scattering and a polarization fraction that peaks at ∼30% near the ansae. Modeling of the scattered-light disk indicates that the ring spans radii of ∼60-220 au, has a vertical thickness similar to that of other resolved dust rings, and contains grains as small as 1.5 μm in diameter. These models also suggest the grains have a low porosity, are more likely to consist of carbon than astrosilicates, and contain significant water ice. The halo has a surface brightness profile consistent with that expected from grains pushed by radiation pressure from the main ring onto highly eccentric but still bound orbits. We also briefly investigate arrangements of a possible inner disk component implied by our spectral energy distribution models, and speculate about the limitations of Mie theory for doing detailed analyses of debris disk dust populations.

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Alexandra Greenbaum

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