First Resolved Scattered-Light Images of Four Debris Disks in Scorpius-Centaurus with the Gemini Planet Imager

TL;DR

This study presents the first high-contrast, polarized light images of four debris disks in the Sco-Cen association, revealing diverse morphologies, including the first binary debris disk system, and providing insights into young planetary system development.

Contribution

First spatially resolved polarized light images of four debris disks in Sco-Cen, including the first binary debris disk system with two resolved disks, expanding understanding of disk diversity.

Findings

Three disks are symmetric in morphology and brightness.

One disk shows asymmetries similar to known planet-disk systems.

Half of the 15 resolved disks in Sco-Cen show asymmetries.

Abstract

We present the first spatially resolved scattered-light images of four debris disks around members of the Scorpius-Centaurus (Sco-Cen) OB Association with high-contrast imaging and polarimetry using the Gemini Planet Imager (GPI). All four disks are resolved for the first time in polarized light and one disk is also detected in total intensity. The three disks imaged around HD 111161, HD 143675, and HD 145560 are symmetric in both morphology and brightness distribution. The three systems span a range of inclinations and radial extents. The disk imaged around HD 98363 shows indications of asymmetries in morphology and brightness distribution, with some structural similarities to the HD 106906 planet-disk system. Uniquely, HD 98363 has a wide co-moving stellar companion Wray 15-788 with a recently resolved disk with very different morphological properties. HD 98363 A/B is the first binary debris disk system with two spatially resolved disks. All four targets have been observed with ALMA, and their continuum fluxes range from one non-detection to one of the brightest disks in the region. With the new results, a total of 15 A/F-stars in Sco-Cen have resolved scattered light debris disks, and approximately half of these systems exhibit some form of asymmetry. Combining the GPI disk structure results with information from the literature on millimeter fluxes and imaged planets reveals a diversity of disk properties in this young population. Overall, the four newly resolved disks contribute to the census of disk structures measured around A/F-stars at this important stage in the development of planetary systems.