2012ApJ...749L..27W

We present imaging observations at 1.3 mm of the debris disk surrounding the nearby M-type flare star AU Mic with beam size 3'' (30 AU) from the Submillimeter Array. These data reveal a belt of thermal dust emission surrounding the star with the same edge-on geometry as the more extended scattered light disk detected at optical wavelengths. Simple modeling indicates a central radius of ∼35 AU for the emission belt. This location is consistent with the reservoir of planetesimals previously invoked to explain the shape of the scattered light surface brightness profile through size-dependent dust dynamics. The identification of this belt further strengthens the kinship between the debris disks around AU Mic and its more massive sister star β Pic, members of the same ∼10 Myr old moving group.