| Description |
During the last decade, some peculiar objects emerged from mid-infrared observation campaigns: warm debris disks. These unique and rare objects have the same properties as classical debris disks, except that they display emission features in the mid-infrared, that are associated with warm micron-sized silicate grains. The origin of the warm dust component is still subject to discussion. According to the most recent studies, this dust population may be the consequence of two scenarios. The first explanation would be that a recent catastrophic collision took place in the inner regions of the disks, producing a large amount of micron-sized grains. The second possibility is that a cold outer planetesimal belt is feeding the inner regions, in a similar way as the Late Heavy Bombardment that took place in the Solar System. Such dynamical instability can possibly be triggered by giant planets migration. We propose to use the PACS photometer, combined with SED modeling, for a unique set of 6 warm debris disks, than may host on-going planetary formation, in order to search for emission in excess at long wavelengths, that may reveal the presence of outer planetesimal belts. |
