A Dust Disk Surrounding the Young A Star HR 4796A

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Abstract
We report the codiscovery of the spatially resolved dust disk of the Vega-like star HR 4796A. Images of the thermal dust emission at λ=18 μm show an elongated structure approximately 200 AU in diameter surrounding the central A0V star. The position angle of the disk (30° ± 10°) is consistent to the position angle of the M companion star (225°), suggesting that the disk-binary system is being seen nearly along its orbital plane. The surface brightness distribution of the disk is consistent with the presence of an inner disk hole of approximately 50 AU radius, as was originally suggested by Jura et al. on the basis of the infrared spectrum. HR 4796 is a unique system among the Vega-like or β Pictoris stars in that the M star companion (a weak-emission T Tauri star) shows that the system is relatively young, ~8 ± 3 Myr. The inner disk hole may provide evidence for coagulation of dust into larger bodies on a timescale similar to that suggested for planet formation in the solar system.
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