X-raying the AU Microscopii debris disk

Abstract

AU Mic is a young, nearby X-ray active M-dwarf with an edge-on debris disk. Debris disk are the successors to the gaseous disks usually surrounding pre-main sequence stars which form after the first few Myrs of their host stars' lifetime, when-presumably-also the planet formation takes place. Since X-ray transmission spectroscopy is sensitive to the chemical composition of the absorber, features in the stellar spectrum of AU Mic caused by its debris disk can in principle be detected. The upper limits we derive from our high resolution Chandra LETGS X-ray spectroscopy are on the same order as those from UV absorption measurements, consistent with the idea that AU Mic's debris disk possesses an inner hole with only a very low density of sub-micron sized grains or gas. © ESO 2010.