2007/12/06 by M. R. Meyer, Markus R. Meyer, J. M. Carpenter +20 · 6 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #Astro and Planetary Science #Astrophysics and Star Formation Studies #Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies #astro-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1086/527470
Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal Letters
arxiv created 2007/12/06 · openalex publication_date 2008/01/09 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/31
We report observations from the Spitzer Space Telescope regarding the frequency of 24 μm excess emission toward Sun-like stars. Our unbiased sample is composed of 309 stars with masses 0.7-2.2 M ☉ and ages from <3 Myr to >3 Gyr that lack excess emission at wavelengths ≤8 μm. We identify 30 stars that exhibit clear evidence of excess emission from the observed 24 μm/8 μm flux ratio. The implied 24 μm excesses of these candidate debris disk systems range from 13% (the minimum detectable) to more than 100% compared to the expected photospheric emission. The frequency of systems with evidence for dust debris emitting at 24 μm ranges from 8.5%-19% at ages <300 Myr to <4% for older stars. The results suggest that many, perhaps most, Sun-like stars might form terrestrial planets.