Issue |
A&A
Volume 402, Number 1, April IV 2003
|
|
---|---|---|
Page(s) | L5 - L8 | |
Section | Letters | |
DOI | https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361:20030369 | |
Published online | 07 April 2003 |
Letter to the Editor
A stream of particles from the β Pictoris disc: A possible ejection mechanism
Max-Planck-Institute for Aeronomy, Max-Planck-Str. 2, 37191 Katlenburg-Lindau, Germany e-mail: solanki@linmpi.mpg.de
Corresponding author: N. A. Krivova, natalie@linmpi.mpg.de
Received:
5
September
2002
Accepted:
12
March
2003
Recently, a stream of particles originating from the direction of β Pictoris, a young main sequence star surrounded by a dust disc, has been reported (Baggaley [CITE]). Standard mechanisms of particle ejection from a disc fail to reproduce the properties of this stream. We find that scattering by a giant proto-planet with properties taken from the literature is consistent with the observations. The fact that a straightforward ejection mechanism reproduces the data supports the identification of the particle stream's source with β Pic. Our work also indicates that protoplanetary dust discs form a potentially rich source of large interstellar grains, as widely detected in the Solar System.
Key words: circumstellar matter / meteors, meteoroids / planetary systems / stars: individual: β Pic
© ESO, 2003
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