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Mid-Infrared Imaging of the Post-Asymptotic Giant Branch Star AC Herculis with the Multiple Mirror Telescope Adaptive Optics System*

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Laird M. Close1, Beth Biller1, William F. Hoffmann1, Phil M. Hinz1, John H. Bieging1, Francois Wildi1, Michael Lloyd-Hart1, Guido Brusa1, Don Fisher1, Doug Miller1 and Roger Angel1

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We utilized the unique 6.5 m Multiplie Mirror Telescope deformable secondary adaptive optics (AO) system to produce high-resolution (FWHM = 0farcs3), very high Strehl mid-infrared (9.8, 11.7, and 18 μm) images of the post-asymptotic giant branch star AC Her. The very high (98% ± 2%) Strehls achieved with mid-IR AO led naturally to an ultrastable point-spread function (PSF) independent of air mass, seeing, or location on the sky. We find no significant difference between AC Her's morphology and our unresolved PSF calibration stars (μ UMa and α Her) at 9.8, 11.7, and 18 μm. Our current observations do not confirm any extended mid-IR structure around AC Her. These observations are in conflict with previously reported Keck (seeing-limited) 11.7 and 18 μm images that suggested the presence of a resolved ~0farcs6 edge-on circumbinary disk. We conclude that AC Her has no extended mid-IR structure on scales greater than 0farcs2 (R < 75 AU). These first results of mid-IR AO science are very encouraging for future high-accuracy mid-IR imaging with this technique.


Footnote
*  The results presented here made use of the of Multiple Mirror Telescope (MMT) Observatory, a facility jointly operated by the University of Arizona and the Smithsonian Institution.
Subject headings

binaries: general; instrumentation: adaptive optics; stars: AGB and post-AGB; stars: evolution; stars: formation


Dates

Issue 1 (2003 November 20)

Received 2003 July 28, accepted for publication 2003 October 6

Published 2003 November 3



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