Detecting the Dusty Debris of Terrestrial Planet Formation

Abstract

We use a multiannulus accretion code to investigate debris disks in the terrestrial zone, at 0.7-1.3 AU around a 1 solar mass star. Terrestrial planet formation produces a bright dusty ring of debris with a lifetime of at least 1 Myr. The early phases of terrestrial planet formation are observable with current facilities; the late stages require more advanced instruments with adaptive optics.