Cool Stars 14 - Submitted Abstract # 111
This version created on 05 October 2006

Spitzer-Resolved Debris Disks around Solar-Type Stars


G. Bryden
C. Beichman
A. Tanner
K. Stapelfeldt
 et al.

The Spitzer Space Telescope has surveyed ~300  nearby solar-type stars
for IR excess, with a detection rate of ~15%.  Among these stars with
circumstellar dust emission, we identify 11 as marginally resolved in
their MIPS 70um images.  Beyond the ``Fabulous Four'' discovered by
IRAS, these are the only debris disks that have been spatially
resolved by Spitzer.  Several have independent evidence for disk
extension, most notably the four disks previously resolved with the
Hubble Space Telescope;  the thermal emission observed by Spitzer
matches these scattered light images in both size and position angle.
For two additional systems, the Spitzer observations correctly predict
these disk parameters, as confirmed by subsequent HST imaging.
Overall, by resolving the thermal emission, we place constraints on
the dust properties and on the orbital location of larger colliding
planetesimals.

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