Do Two Temperature Debris Disks Have Multiple Belts?

TL;DR

This study investigates debris disks with two-temperature dust emission, finding that most are likely composed of multiple belts similar to the Solar System's asteroid and Kuiper belts, rather than a single belt with grain size variations.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive analysis of two-temperature debris disks, demonstrating that most cannot be explained by single belts and suggesting their connection to planetary system architecture.

Findings

The warm/cool temperature ratio ranges from 2 to 4.

Temperatures increase with stellar mass.

Most two-temperature disks are likely multi-belt systems.

Abstract

We present a study of debris disks whose spectra are well modelled by dust emission at two different temperatures. These disks are typically assumed to be a sign of multiple belts, which in only a few cases have been confirmed via high resolution observations. We first compile a sample of two-temperature disks to derive their properties, summarised by the ratios of the warm and cool component temperatures and fractional luminosities. The ratio of warm to cool temperatures is constant in the range 2-4, and the temperatures of both warm and cool components increases with stellar mass. We then explore whether this emission can arise from dust in a single narrow belt, with the range of temperatures arising from the size variation of grain temperatures. This model can produce two-temperature spectra for Sun-like stars, but is not supported where it can be tested by observed disk sizes and far-IR/mm spectral slopes. Therefore, while some two-temperature disks arise from single belts, it is probable that most have multiple spatial components. These disks are plausibly similar to the outer Solar System's configuration of Asteroid and Edgeworth-Kuiper belts separated by giant planets. Alternatively, the inner component could arise from inward scattering of material from the outer belt, again due to intervening planets. In either case, we suggest that the ratio of warm/cool component temperatures is indicative of the scale of outer planetary systems, which typically span a factor of about ten in radius.