The incidence of mid-infrared excesses in G and K giants

Jones, Mark H. (2008). The incidence of mid-infrared excesses in G and K giants. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 387(2) pp. 845–855.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2966.2008.13282.x

Abstract

Using photometric data from the Two-Micron All-Sky Survey (2MASS) and GLIMPSE catalogues, I investigate the incidence of mid-infrared (mid-IR) excesses (∼10 μm) in G and K stars of luminosity class III. In order to obtain a large sample size, stars are selected using a near-IR colour–magnitude diagram. Sources which are candidates for showing mid-IR excess are carefully examined and modelled to determined whether they are likely to be G/K giants. It is found that mid-IR excesses are present at a level of (1.8 ± 0.4) × 10⁻³. While the origin of these excesses remains uncertain, it is plausible that they arise from debris discs around these stars. I note that the measured incidence is consistent with a scenario in which dust lifetimes in debris discs are determined by Poynting–Robertson drag rather than by collisions.

Viewing alternatives

Metrics

Item Actions

Export

You can export this page using these formats Digital Object Identifier - DOI