In this work, the early evolution of intermediate-mass stars is studied. Current theories about star formation indicate that a young star, which has formed through the collapse of a molecular cloud, is surrounded by a circumstellar dust disk, as a result of angular momentum conservation of the infalling material. The environment of these objects is very dusty.
Several mechanisms cause the dissipation of the dust disk on fairly short timescales.
Nevertheless, in 1983, the Infrared Astronomical Satellite IRAS detected infrared excesses around main-sequence stars, with ages which largely exceed the time scales of these dissipation mechanisms. The dust in this system is located relatively far from the central object, which has a mass of 1.7-1.8 M . Only a far-infrared excess is detected. In order to get a better insight in the dust processing mechanisms which take place in the dust disk, this photometric study is insufficient. In Chapter 1, a discussion on the current views on the star formation process is given.