# Detection of submillimeter-wave [C I] emission in gaseous debris disks of 49 Ceti and Beta Pictoris

## TL;DR

This study reports the first detection of atomic carbon [C I] emission in gaseous debris disks of 49 Ceti and Beta Pictoris, revealing high C/CO ratios and suggesting a secondary gas origin from dust grains.

## Contribution

First detection of [C I] emission in debris disks, providing insights into gas composition and the origin of secondary gas in such environments.

## Key findings

- Atomic carbon coexists with CO in debris disks.
- High C/CO ratios indicate a lack of H2 molecules.
- Results suggest secondary gas contribution from dust grains.

## Abstract

We have detected [C I] 3P1-3P0 emissions in the gaseous debris disks of 49 Ceti and Beta Pictoris with the 10 m telescope of the Atacama Submillimeter Telescope Experiment, which is the first detection of such emissions. The line profiles of [C I] are found to resemble those of CO(J=3-2) observed with the same telescope and the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array. This result suggests that atomic carbon (C) coexists with CO in the debris disks, and is likely formed by the photodissociation of CO. Assuming an optically thin [C I] emission with the excitation temperature ranging from 30 to 100 K, the column density of C is evaluated to be (2.2+-0.2)x10^17 and (2.5+-0.7)x10^16 cm^-2 for 49 Ceti and Beta Pictoris, respectively. The C/CO column density ratio is thus derived to be 54+-19 and 69+-42 for 49 Ceti and Beta Pictoris, respectively. These ratios are higher than those of molecular clouds and diffuse clouds by an order of magnitude. The unusually high ratios of C to CO are likely attributed to a lack of H2 molecules needed to reproduce CO molecules efficiently from C. This result implies a small number of H2 molecules in the gas disk; i.e., there is an appreciable contribution of secondary gas from dust grains.