Abstract
Circumstellar dust disks have been observed around many nearby stars. However, many stars are part of binary or multiple stellar systems. A natural question arises regarding the presence and properties of such disks in systems with more than one star. To address this, we consider a sample of 449 systems (spectral types A-M) observed with the Herschel Space Observatory as part of the DEBRIS program. We have examined the stellar multiplicity of this sample by gathering information from the literature and performing an adaptive optics imaging survey at Lick Observatory. Five new companions were revealed with our program. In total, we identify 188 (42%) binary or multiple star systems. The multiplicity of the sample is examined with regards to the detection of circumstellar disks for stars of spectral types AFGK. In general, disks are less commonly detected around binaries than single stars, though the disk frequency is comparable among A stars regardless of multiplicity. However, this sample reveals the period distribution of disk-bearing binaries is consistent with that of non-disk binaries and with comparison field samples. We find that the properties of disks in binary systems are not statistically different from those around single stars. Although the frequency of disk-bearing FGK binaries may be lower than in single star systems, the processes behind disk formation and the characteristics of these disks are comparable among both populations.
Highlights
Disks rich in gas and dust around young stars are sites of planet formation
The DEBRIS sample consists of 451 stars, of which 2 are not primaries (Fomalhaut B &C; see Mamajek et al 2013; Kennedy et al 2014), and includes the 5 systems observed by the Herschel Guaranteed Time (GT) disks program (PI: Olofsson)
The DEBRIS sample consists of 449 AFGKM systems observed with Herschel to search for circumstellar disks
Summary
Disks rich in gas and dust around young stars are sites of planet formation. Jovian-class planets need to form rapidly, as gas within the disks dissipates over a period of a few million years (Zuckerman et al 1995; Pascucci et al 2006). Collisions between any planetesimals in the disk can generate a second population of dust These second-generation systems are known as debris disks and generally contain very little gas (Zuckerman 2001; Wyatt 2008, and references therein). The close (3.4-day) main sequence binary BD +20 307 displays a large amount of warm dust in the terrestrial planet zone (Song et al 2005), which can be interpreted as the result of a planetary-scale collision in this ∼1 Gyr old binary system (Zuckerman et al 2008; Weinberger et al 2011). Studying circumstellar and circumbinary disks is a complementary way to explore the properties of planet formation in binary star systems. We explore the multiplicity statistics of the DEBRIS sample and its role in the detection of circumstellar and circumbinary disks
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