Kalas Paul, Liu Michael C, Matthews Brenda C
Astronomy Department and Radio Astronomy Laboratory, 601 Campbell Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
Science. 2004 Mar 26;303(5666):1990-2. doi: 10.1126/science.1093420. Epub 2004 Feb 26.
We present the discovery of a circumstellar dust disk surrounding AU Microscopii (AU Mic, GJ 803, HD 197481). This young M star at 10 parsec has the same age and origin as beta Pictoris, another nearby star surrounded by a dust disk. The AU Mic disk is detected between 50 astronomical units (AU) and 210 AU radius, a region where dust lifetimes exceed the present stellar age. Thus, AU Mic is the nearest star where we directly observe the solid material required for planet formation. Because 85% of stars are M-type, the AU Mic disk provides new clues on how the majority of planetary systems might form and evolve.
我们报告发现了一颗围绕着显微镜座AU（AU Mic，GJ 803，HD 197481）的星际尘埃盘。这颗位于10秒差距处的年轻M型恒星与绘架座β具有相同的年龄和起源，绘架座β是另一颗被尘埃盘环绕的邻近恒星。AU Mic尘埃盘在半径50天文单位（AU）至210 AU的区域被探测到，在该区域尘埃寿命超过了当前恒星的年龄。因此，AU Mic是我们直接观测到行星形成所需固体物质的最近恒星。由于85%的恒星是M型，AU Mic尘埃盘为大多数行星系统可能如何形成和演化提供了新线索。
