Mid-infrared images of β Pictoris and the possible role of planetesimal collisions in the central disk

Telesco, C. M.; Fisher, Richard F.; Wyatt, M. C.; Dermott, S. F.; Kehoe, T. J. J.; Novotny, Steven J.; Mariñas, Naibí; Radomski, J. T.; Packham, C.; Buizer, James De; Hayward, T. L.

doi:10.1038/nature03255

Cited by 152 publications

(182 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…Clearly, studying this debris and how frequently it is detected around nearby stars has the potential to inform about terrestrial planet formation processes more generally, as well as the fraction of stars that host such planets (Jackson and Wyatt 2012). Some stars also show evidence that could point to recent giant impacts in the more distant reaches of their planetary systems (Telesco et al 2005;Dent et al 2014;Stark et al 2014), but conclusions remain tentative for now.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 93%

“…While it is possible that the clump in β Pic was created in the break-up of a planetesimal within the last 50 years (Telesco et al 2005), we are many orders of magnitude more likely to witness the same impact in the asymmetric disk phase than in the clump phase. Moreover the morphology, and in particular its wavelength dependence outlined above, are exactly that expected if the asymmetry in the clump is the result of a giant impact witnessed in the asymmetric disk phase; e.g., Fig.…”

Section: Collisions At Larger Separationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Telesco et al (2005) revealed a large brightness asymmetry in the SW portion of the disk at Fig. 7 Image of the face-on distribution of CO gas in the β Pic disk, derived from spatial and velocity information in ALMA observations of this edge-on disk (Dent et al 2014).…”

Section: Collisions At Larger Separationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Insights into Planet Formation from Debris Disks

Wyatt

Jackson

2016

Space Sci Rev

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Giant impacts refer to collisions between two objects each of which is massive enough to be considered at least a planetary embryo. The putative collision suffered by the proto-Earth that created the Moon is a prime example, though most Solar System bodies bear signatures of such collisions. Current planet formation models predict that an epoch of giant impacts may be inevitable, and observations of debris around other stars are providing mounting evidence that giant impacts feature in the evolution of many planetary systems. This chapter reviews giant impacts, focussing on what we can learn about planet formation by studying debris around other stars. Giant impact debris evolves through mutual collisions and dynamical interactions with planets. General aspects of this evolution are outlined, noting the importance of the collision-point geometry. The detectability of the debris is discussed using the example of the Moon-forming impact. Such debris could be detectable around another star up to 10 Myr post-impact, but model uncertainties could reduce detectability to a few 100 yr window. Nevertheless the 3 % of young stars with debris at levels expected during terrestrial planet formation provide valuable constraints on formation models; implications for super-Earth formation are also discussed. Variability recently observed in some bright disks promises to illuminate the evolution during the earliest phases when vapour condensates may be optically thick and acutely affected by the collision-point geometry. The outer reaches of planetary systems may also exhibit signatures of giant impacts, such as the clumpy debris structures seen around some stars.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Section: Collisions At Larger Separationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Insights into Planet Formation from Debris Disks

Wyatt

Jackson

2016

Space Sci Rev

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“…They concluded that a planet of about 1 M Jup at about 10 AU with a moderate eccentricity of e ≈ 0.05 can explain both the warp of the dust disk and the FEBs phenomenon. More recently, belt structures at about 6.4, 16, 32, and 52 AU were observed (Wahhaj et al 2003;Okamoto et al 2004;Telesco et al 2005;Golimowski et al 2006). Reviewing the evidence of planets in the β Pic disk and using dynamical simulations, Freistetter et al (2007) obtained additional constraints on these planets.…”

Section: Eccentric Orbitmentioning

confidence: 99%

Is β Pictoris b the transiting planet of November 1981?

Étangs¹,

Vidal‐Madjar²

2009

A&A

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In 1981, β Pictoris showed strong and rapid photometric variations that were attributed to the transit of a giant comet or a planet orbiting at several AUs. Recently, a candidate planet has been identified by imagery in the circumstellar disk of β Pictoris. This planet, named β Pic b, is observed at a projected distance of 8 AU from the central star. It is therefore a plausible candidate for the photometric event observed in 1981. The coincidence of the observed position of the planet in November 2003 and the calculated position assuming that the 1981 transit is due to a planet orbiting at 8 AU is intriguing. Assuming that the planet that is detected on the image is the same as the object transiting in November 1981, we estimate ranges of possible orbital distances and periods. In the favored scenario, the planet orbits at ∼8 AU and was seen close to its quadrature position in the 2003 images. In this case, most of the uncertainties are related to error bars on the position in 2003. Uncertainties related to the stellar mass and orbital eccentricity are also discussed. We find a semi-major axis in the range [7.6-8.7] AU and an orbital period in the range [15.9-19.5] years. We give predictions for imaging observations at quadrature in the southwest branch of the disk in future years (2011)(2012)(2013)(2014)(2015). We also estimate possible dates for the next transits and anti-transits.

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“…The emission is highly asymmetric, with 30% of the emission located in a single clump on one side of the star, with kinematics giving the exact position of the gas clump at 85 AU from the star (Dent et al 2014), possibly colocated with a dust clump detected in the mid-IR (Telesco et al 2005). The radial distribution of CO is similar to the location of the planetesimal belt inferred from the continuum emission to extend 50-150 AU, which is thus thought to be the source of gas.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A self-consistent model for the evolution of the gas produced in the debris disc of β Pictoris

Kral¹,

Wyatt²,

Carswell³

et al. 2016

Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc.

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This paper presents a self-consistent model for the evolution of gas produced in the debris disc of β Pictoris. Our model proposes that atomic carbon and oxygen are created from the photodissociation of CO, which is itself released from volatile-rich bodies in the debris disc due to grain-grain collisions or photodesorption. While the CO lasts less than one orbit, the atomic gas evolves by viscous spreading resulting in an accretion disc inside the parent belt and a decretion disc outside. The temperature, ionisation fraction and population levels of carbon and oxygen are followed with the photodissociation region model Cloudy, which is coupled to a dynamical viscous α model. We present new gas observations of β Pic, of C I observed with APEX and O I observed with Herschel, and show that these along with published C II and CO observations can all be explained with this new model. Our model requires a viscosity α > 0.1, similar to that found in sufficiently ionised discs of other astronomical objects; we propose that the magnetorotational instability is at play in this highly ionised and dilute medium. This new model can be tested from its predictions for high resolution ALMA observations of C I. We also constrain the water content of the planetesimals in β Pic. The scenario proposed here might be at play in all debris discs and this model could be used more generally on all discs with C, O or CO detections.

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Mid-infrared images of β Pictoris and the possible role of planetesimal collisions in the central disk

Cited by 152 publications

References 23 publications

Insights into Planet Formation from Debris Disks

Insights into Planet Formation from Debris Disks

Is β Pictoris b the transiting planet of November 1981?

A self-consistent model for the evolution of the gas produced in the debris disc of β Pictoris

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