The Composition, Excitation, and Physical State of Atomic Gas in the Debris Disk Surrounding 51 Oph∗

Abstract

Abstract We measured 304 absorption features in the ultraviolet and visible spectra of the star 51 Oph, which is known to have a debris disk with a high inclination. We analyzed the relative populations of atoms in excited fine-structure and metastable levels that are maintained by optical pumping and collisional excitation by electrons, and we found that most of the gas is situated at about 6 au from the star, has an electron volume density 105 < n(e) < 3 × 106 cm−3, and a temperature T = 8000 K. Our interpretations reveal that the gas is partly ionized, has a column density of neutral hydrogen equal to 1021 cm−2, and has a composition similar to that of a mildly depleted interstellar medium or that of Jupiter-family comets. Compared to results for disks around some other stars, such as β Pic and 49 Cet, we find surprisingly little neutral carbon. No molecular features were detected, which indicates that our line of sight misses the molecule-rich central plane of the disk. The tilt of the disk is also validated by our being able to detect resonant scattering of the starlight by oxygen atoms.