Is <i>β</i> Pictoris b the transiting planet of November 1981?

Étangs, A. Lecavelier des; Vidal‐Madjar, A.

doi:10.1051/0004-6361/200811528

Cited by 29 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…In addition, a 10 M Jup planet at 10 au has been inferred as the cause of a warp in the disc (Mouillet et al 1997) that reaches a peak near the same location as the parent belt (Heap et al 2000). This proposed companion has recently been imaged (Lagrange et al 2009b), though confirmation with second epoch observations is needed (Lagrange et al 2009a; Lecavelier Des Etangs & Vidal‐Madjar 2009). Finally, Telesco et al (2005) find an apparent clump of small grains in the south‐west wing of the disc at 50 au.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 94%

Are debris discs self-stirred?

Kennedy

Wyatt

2010

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

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This paper aims to consider the evidence that debris discs are self‐stirred by the formation of Pluto‐size objects. A semi‐analytical model for the dust produced during self‐stirring is developed and applied to the statistics for A‐stars. We show that there is no significant statistical difference between fractional excesses of A stars 50 Myr old, and therefore focus on reproducing the broad trends, the ‘rise and fall’ of the fraction of stars with excesses that the pre‐stirred model of Wyatt et al. does not predict. Using a population model, we find that the statistics and trends can be reproduced with a self‐stirring model of planetesimal belts with radius distribution between 15–120 au, with width dr=r/2. Discs must have this 15 au minimum radius in order to show a peak in disc fraction, rather than a monotonic decline. However, the marginal significance of the peak in the observations means that models with smaller minimum radii also formally fit the data. Populations of extended discs with fixed inner and/or outer radii fail to fit the statistics, due mainly to the slow 70 m evolution as stirring moves further out in the disc. This conclusion, that debris discs are narrow belts rather than extended discs, is independent of the significance of 24 m trends for young A‐stars. Although the rise and fall is naturally explained by self‐stirring, we show that the statistics can also be reproduced with a model in which discs are stirred by secular perturbations from a nearby eccentric planet. Detailed imaging, which can reveal warps, sharp edges and offsets in individual systems, is the best way to characterize the stirring mechanism. From a more detailed look at Pictoris Moving Group and TW Hydrae Association A‐stars, we find that the disc around Pictoris is likely the result of secular stirring by the proposed planet at 10 au; the structure of the HR 4796A disc also points to sculpting by a planet. The two other stars with discs, HR 7012 and Tel, possess transient hot dust, though the outer Tel disc is consistent with a self‐stirred origin. We suggest that planet formation provides a natural explanation for the belt‐like nature of debris discs, with inner regions cleared by planets that may also stir the disc, and the outer edges set by where planetesimals can form.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 94%

Are debris discs self-stirred?

Kennedy

Wyatt

2010

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

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“…Lecavelier des Etangs et al (1997) showed that a planet with 2-4 times the radius of Jupiter, orbiting at ∼9 AU at most could well be responsible for the photometric variations they reported. Lecavelier des Etangs & Vidal-Madjar (2009) [7.6-8.7] AU. They also predicted that if the planet detected in 2003 on the NE side of the disk matched the one they predicted, it should reappear on the SW side in 2009 roughly where it was reobserved.…”

Section: Transiting Eventmentioning

confidence: 99%

Orbital characterization of theβPictoris b giant planet

Chauvin¹,

Lagrange²,

Beust³

et al. 2012

A&A

155

221

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Context. In June 2010, we confirmed the existence of a giant planet in the disk of the young star β Pictoris located between 8 AU and 15 AU from the star. This young planet offers the rare opportunity to monitor a large fraction of the orbit using the imaging technique over a reasonably short timescale. It also offers the opportunity to study its atmospheric properties using spectroscopy and multi-band photometry, and possibly derive its dynamical mass by combining imaging with radial velocity data to set tight constraints on giant planet formation theories. Aims. We aim to measure the evolution of the planet's position relative to the star β Pictoris to determine the planetary orbital properties. Our ultimate goal is to relate both the planetary orbital configuration and physical properties to either the disk structure or the cometary activity observed for decades in the β Pictoris system. Methods. Using the NAOS-CONICA adaptive-optics instrument (NACO) at the Very Large Telescope (VLT), we obtained repeated follow-up images of the β Pictoris system in the K s and L filters at four new epochs in 2010 and 2011. Complementing these data with previous measurements, we conduct a homogeneous analysis, which covers more than eight yrs, to accurately monitor the β Pictoris b position relative to the star. We then carefully consider the various sources of uncertainties that may affect the orbital parameter determination. Results. On the basis of the evolution of the planet's relative position with time, we derive the best-fit orbital solutions for our measurements using two fitting methods, a least squares Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm and a Markov-chain Monte Carlo approach. More reliable results are found with the second approach as our measurements do not cover the complete planetary orbit, and are biased toward the most recent epochs since the planet recovery. The solutions favor a low-eccentricity orbit e < ∼ 0.17, with semi-major axis in the range 8-9 AU corresponding to orbital periods of 17-21 yrs. Our solutions favor a highly inclined solution with a peak around i = 88.5 ± 1.7 • , and a longitude of ascending node tightly constrained at Ω = −147.5 ± 1.5 • . These results indicate that the orbital plane of the planet is likely to be above the midplane of the main disk, and compatible with the warp component of the disk being tilted between 3.5 deg and 4.0 deg. This suggests that the planet plays a key role in the origin of the inner warped-disk morphology of the β Pic disk. Finally, these orbital parameters are consistent with the hypothesis that the planet is responsible for the transit-like event observed in November 1981, and also linked to the cometary activity observed in the β Pic system.

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“…Finally, it has been suggested that the 2003 candidate planet could have been responsible for a peculiar photometric variability event observed in 1981, when transiting in front of the star (27). The 2009 data are compatible with this possibility [see also (19)], however, only for a small range of planet orbital parameters.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

A Giant Planet Imaged in the Disk of the Young Star β Pictoris

Lagrange

Bonnefoy

Chauvin

et al. 2010

Science

835

798

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Here, we show that the approximately 10-million-year-old beta Pictoris system hosts a massive giant planet, beta Pictoris b, located 8 to 15 astronomical units from the star. This result confirms that gas giant planets form rapidly within disks and validates the use of disk structures as fingerprints of embedded planets. Among the few planets already imaged, beta Pictoris b is the closest to its parent star. Its short period could allow for recording of the full orbit within 17 years.

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Is β Pictoris b the transiting planet of November 1981?

Cited by 29 publications

References 33 publications

Are debris discs self-stirred?

Are debris discs self-stirred?

Orbital characterization of theβPictoris b giant planet

A Giant Planet Imaged in the Disk of the Young Star β Pictoris

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