Predictions for a planet just inside Fomalhaut's eccentric ring
01 Oct 2006-Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters (Blackwell Publishing Ltd)-Vol. 372, Iss: 1
TL;DR: In this paper, the eccentricity and sharpness of the edge of Fomalhaut's disk are due to a planet just interior to the ring edge, which is likely to be located at the boundary of a chaotic zone in the corotation region of the planet.
Abstract: We propose that the eccentricity and sharpness of the edge of Fomalhaut’s disk are due to a planet just interior to the ring edge. The collision timescale consistent with the disk opacity is long enough that spiral density waves cannot be driven near the planet. The ring edge is likely to be located at the boundary of a chaotic zone in the corotation region of the planet. We find that this zone can open a gap in a particle disk as long as the collision timescale exceeds the removal or ejection timescale in the zone. We use the slope measured from the ring edge surface brightness profile to place an upper limit on the planet mass. The removal timescale in the chaotic zone is used to estimate a lower limit. The ring edge has eccentricity caused by secular perturbations from the planet. These arguments imply that the planet has a mass between that of Neptune and that of Saturn, a semi-major axis of approximately 119 AU and longitude of periastron and eccentricity, 0.1, the same as that of the ring edge.
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TL;DR: In this article, a review describes the theoretical framework within which debris disk evolution takes place and shows how that framework has been constrained by observations, including infrared photometry of large numbers of debris disks, providing snapshots of the dust present at different evolutionary phases.
Abstract: Circumstellar dust exists around several hundred main sequence stars. For the youngest stars, that dust could be a remnant of the protoplanetary disk. Mostly it is inferred to be continuously replenished through collisions between planetesimals in belts analogous to the Solar System’s asteroid and Kuiper belts, or in collisions between growing protoplanets. The evolution of a star’s debris disk is indicative of the evolution of its planetesimal belts and may be influenced by planet formation processes, which can continue throughout the first gigayear as the planetary system settles to a stable configuration and planets form at large radii. Evidence for that evolution comes from infrared photometry of large numbers of debris disks, providing snapshots of the dust present at different evolutionary phases, as well as from images of debris disk structure. This review describes the theoretical framework within which debris disk evolution takes place and shows how that framework has been constrained by observations.
985 citations
TL;DR: Optical observations of an exoplanet candidate, Fomalhaut b, show that the planet's mass is at most three times that of Jupiter; a higher mass would lead to gravitational disruption of the belt, matching predictions of its location.
Abstract: Fomalhaut is a bright star 7.7 parsecs (25 light years) from Earth that harbors a belt of cold dust with a structure consistent with gravitational sculpting by an orbiting planet. Here, we present optical observations of an exoplanet candidate, Fomalhaut b. In the plane of the belt, Fomalhaut b lies approximately 119 astronomical units (AU) from the star and 18 AU from the dust belt, matching predictions. We detect counterclockwise orbital motion using Hubble Space Telescope observations separated by 1.73 years. Dynamical models of the interaction between the planet and the belt indicate that the planet's mass is at most three times that of Jupiter for the belt to avoid gravitational disruption. The flux detected at 0.8 m is also consistent with that of a planet with mass no greater than a few times that of Jupiter. The brightness at 0.6 micron and the lack of detection at longer wavelengths suggest that the detected flux may include starlight reflected off a circumplanetary disk, with dimension comparable to the orbits of the Galilean satellites. We also observed variability of unknown origin at 0.6 micron.
964 citations
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01 May 2011TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present an overview of the solar system and its evolution, including the formation and evolution of stars, asteroids, and free-floating planets, as well as their internal and external structures.
Abstract: 1. Introduction 2. Radial velocities 3. Astrometry 4. Timing 5. Microlensing 6. Transits 7. Imaging 8. Host stars 9. Brown dwarfs and free-floating planets 10. Formation and evolution 11. Interiors and atmospheres 12. The Solar System Appendixes References Index.
527 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a simple analytical model for the steady-state evolution of debris disks due to collisions is confronted with Spitzer observations of dust around main sequence A stars, and the detection statistics and trends seen at both 24 and 70 µm can be fitted well by the model.
Abstract: In this paper a simple analytical model for the steady-state evolution of debris disks due to collisions is confronted with Spitzer observations of dust around main sequence A stars. All stars are assumed to have planetesimal belts with a distribution of initial masses and radii. In the model disk mass is constant until the largest planetesimals reach collisional equilibrium whereupon the mass falls off ∝ t −1 age. Using parameters that are reasonable within the context of planet formation models and observations of proto-planetary disks, the detection statistics and trends seen at both 24 and 70 µm can be fitted well by the model. While there is no need to invoke stochastic evolution or delayed stirring to explain the detection statistics of dust around A stars, the model is also consistent with a moderate rate of stochastic events. Potentially anomalous systems are identified by their high ratio of observed dust luminosity to the maximum permissible in the model given their radii and ages, f/fmax; these are HD3003, HD38678, HD115892, and HD172555. It is not clear if their planetesimals have unusual properties (e.g., high strength or low eccentricity), or if their dust is a transient phenomenon. There are also well-studied examples from the literature where transient phenomena are favored (e.g., Vega, HD69830). However, the overall success of our model, which assumes planetesimals in all belts have the same strength, eccentricity and maximum size, suggests there is a large degree of uniformity in the outcome of planet formation. The distribution of the radii of the planetesimal belts, once corrected for detection bias, is found to follow N(r) ∝ r −0.8±0.3 in the range 3-120 AU. Since the inner edge of a belt is often attributed to an unseen planet, this provides a unique constraint on the planetary systems of A stars. It is also shown that the effect of P-R drag on the inner edge of A star disks may need to be considered for those close to the Spitzer detection threshold, such as HD2262, HD19356, HD106591, and HD115892. Predictions are made for the upcoming SCUBA-2 survey, including that at least 17 of the 100 A stars should be detectable above 2 mJy at 850 µm, illustrating how this model can be readily applied to the interpretation of future surveys. Subject headings: circumstellar matter – planetary systems: formation
289 citations
Cites background from "Predictions for a planet just insid..."
...The inner hole in these belts has been inferred in other studies to be caused by the presence of inner planets (e.g., Roques et al. 1994; Wyatt et al. 1999; Wilner et al. 2002; Wyatt 2003; Quillen 2006)....
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TL;DR: In this article, the authors describe the formation of icy planets and debris disks at 30-150 AU around 1-3 M☉ stars and show that collisional cascades produce debris disks with maximum luminosity 2 × 10−3 times the stellar luminosity.
Abstract: We describe calculations for the formation of icy planets and debris disks at 30-150 AU around 1-3 M☉ stars. Debris disk formation coincides with the formation of planetary systems. As protoplanets grow, they stir leftover planetesimals to large velocities. A cascade of collisions then grinds the leftovers to dust, forming an observable debris disk. Stellar lifetimes and the collisional cascade limit the growth of protoplanets. The maximum radius of icy planets, -->rmax ≈ 1750 km, is remarkably independent of initial disk mass, stellar mass, and stellar age. These objects contain 3%-4% of the initial mass in solid material. Collisional cascades produce debris disks with maximum luminosity ~ -->2 × 10−3 times the stellar luminosity. The peak 24 μm excess varies from ~1% times the stellar photospheric flux for 1 M☉ stars to ~50 times the stellar photospheric flux for 3 M☉ stars. The peak 70-850 μm excesses are ~30-100 times the stellar photospheric flux. For all stars, the 24-160 μm excesses rise at stellar ages of 5-20 Myr, peak at 10-50 Myr, and then decline. The decline is roughly a power law, -->f t−n with -->n ≈ 0.6–1.0. This predicted evolution agrees with published observations of A-type and solar-type stars. The observed far-IR color evolution of A-type stars also matches model predictions.
271 citations
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TL;DR: In this article, the authors present the results of numerical simulations of collisionless and collisional annuli of test particles centered at the 2 : 1 inner Lindblad resonance of a small satellite.
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"Predictions for a planet just insid..." refers methods in this paper
...This has been confirmed numerically with simulations of low opacity collisional particle discs at individual Lindblad resonances (Franklin et al. 1980; Hanninen & Salo 1992; Espresate & Lissauer 2001)....
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