Cool Stars 14 - Submitted Abstract # 25
This version created on 05 October 2006

Central dust in the beta Leo debris disk system


Rachel Akeson, Michelson Science Center - Caltech
David Ciardi, Michelson Science Center - Caltech
Rafael Millan-Gabet, Michelson Science Center - Caltech

Using the FLUOR instrument on the CHARA interferometer, we have
observed the main sequence A star beta Leo, which is known to have a
debris disk.  Our observations show a small but significant source of
non-stellar emission at 2 microns within the 10  AU field of view.  As
the mid-infrared debris disk emission is well characterized by a
single temperature (T~120  K) blackbody located roughly 30  AU from
the central star, we hypothesize that the near-infrared extended flux
detected by the interferometer arises from emission or scattering from
grains created by collisions between larger bodies in the debris disk,
which then propagate to within 10  AU of the star.  We present simple
models fitting the interferometric and photometric data.

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