The SHARDDS survey: First resolved image of the HD 114082 debris disk in the Lower Centaurus Crux with SPHERE

We present the first resolved image of the debris disk around the 16 +/- 8 Myr old star, HD 114082. The observation was made in the H-band using the SPHERE instrument. The star is at a distance of 92 +/- 6 pc in the Lower Centaurus Crux association. Using a Markov chain Monte Carlo analysis, we determined that the debris is likely in the form of a dust ring with an inner edge of 27.7(-3.5)(+2.8) au, position angle -74.3 degrees(-1.5) (+0.5), and an inclination with respect to the line of sight of 6.7 degrees(+3.8)(-0.4). The disk imaged in scattered light has a surface density that is declining with radius of similar to r(-4), which is steeper than expected for grain blowout by radiation pressure. We find only marginal evidence (2 sigma) of eccentricity and rule out planets more massive than 1.0 M-Jup orbiting within 1 au of the inner edge of the ring, since such a planet would have disrupted the disk. The disk has roughly the same fractional disk luminosity (L-disk = L-* = 3.3 x 10(-3)) as HR 4796 A and beta Pictoris, however it was not detected by previous instrument facilities most likely because of its small angular size (radius similar to 0.4), low albedo (similar to 0.2), and low scattering efficiency far from the star due to high scattering anisotropy. With the arrival of extreme adaptive optics systems, such as SPHERE and GPI, the morphology of smaller, fainter, and more distant debris disks are being revealed, providing clues to planet-disk interactions in young protoplanetary systems.