JWST/MIRI Imaging of the Warm Dust Component of the <i>ϵ</i> Eridani Debris Disk

Abstract We present JWST/MIRI observations of the debris disk surrounding the nearby solar analog ϵ Eridani obtained as part of the Archetypal Debris Disk Guaranteed Time Observation program. Multiwavelength images from 15, 18, 21, and 25.5 μ m show a smooth dust distribution with no evidence of sculpting by massive planets outside of 5 au. Maps of the color temperature and opacity constrain the dust properties, while radiative transfer modeling of a warm dust component traces the interaction between the debris disk and ϵ Eridani b (∼3.5 au). Dynamical and collisional modeling further shows that the disk morphology is dominated by dust produced in the outer planetesimal belt (∼70 au) moving inward via stellar wind drag. We confirm the presence of a disk interior to the ϵ Eri b orbit first detected from mid-IR interferometry. Drag-dominated inner disk regions have also been observed around Vega and Fomalhaut, hinting at the diversity of asteroid belt analogs.