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A self-consistent model for the evolution of the gas produced in the debris disc of β Pictoris
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, ionization 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 Atacama Pathfinder EXperiment and O I observed with , and show that these along with published CII 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 ionized discs of other astronomical objects; we propose that the magnetorotational instability is at play in this highly ionized 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.QK, MW and LM acknowledge support from the European Union through ERC grant number 279973. AJ acknowledges the support of the DISCSIM project, grant agreement 341137, funded by the European Research Council under ERC-2013-ADG.This is the final version of the article. It first appeared from Oxford University Press via http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stw136
Using warm dust to constrain unseen planets
Cold outer debris belts orbit a significant fraction of stars, many of which
are planet-hosts. Radiative forces from the star lead to dust particles leaving
the outer belts and spiralling inwards under Poynting-Robertson drag. We
present an empirical model fitted to N-body simulations that allows the fate of
these dust particles when they encounter a planet to be rapidly calculated.
High mass planets eject most particles, whilst dust passes low mass planets
relatively unperturbed. Close-in, high mass planets (hot Jupiters) are best at
accreting dust. The model predicts the accretion rate of dust onto planets
interior to debris belts, with mass accretions rates of up to hundreds of
kilograms per second predicted for hot Jupiters interior to outer debris belts,
when collisional evolution is also taken into account. The model can be used to
infer the presence and likely masses of as yet undetected planets in systems
with outer belts. The non-detection of warm dust with the Large Binocular
Telescope Interferometer (LBTI) around Vega could be explained by the presence
of a single Saturn mass planet, or a chain of lower mass planets. Similarly,
the detection of warm dust in such systems implies the absence of planets above
a quantifiable level, which can be lower than similar limits from direct
imaging. The level of dust detected with LBTI around beta Leo can be used to
rule out the presence of planets more massive than a few Saturn masses outside
of ~5au
Predictions for the secondary CO, C and O gas content of debris discs from the destruction of volatile-rich planetesimals
This paper uses observations of dusty debris discs, including a growing number of gas detections in these systems, to test our understanding of the origin and evolution of this gaseous component. It is assumed that all debris discs with icy planetesimals create second generation CO, C and O gas at some level, and the aim of this paper is to predict that level and assess its observability. We present a new semi-analytical equivalent of the numerical model of Kral et al. allowing application to large numbers of systems. That model assumes CO is produced from volatile-rich solid bodies at a rate that can be predicted from the debris discs fractional luminosity. CO photodissociates rapidly into C and O that then evolve by viscous spreading. This model provides a good qualitative explanation of all current observations, with a few exceptional systems that likely have primordial gas. The radial location of the debris and stellar luminosity explain some non-detections, e.g. close-in debris (like HD 172555) is too warm to retain CO, while high stellar luminosities (like η Tel) result in short CO lifetimes. We list the most promising targets for gas detections, predicting >15 CO detections and >30 C i detections with ALMA, and tens of C ii and O i detections with future far-IR missions. We find that CO, C i, C ii and O i gas should be modelled in non-LTE for most stars, and that CO, C i and O i lines will be optically thick for the most gas-rich systems. Finally, we find that radiation pressure, which can blow out C i around early-type stars, can be suppressed by self-shielding.QK, LM and MCW acknowledge support from the European Union through ERC grant number 279973. QK and MCW acknowledge funding from STFC via the Institute of Astronomy, Cambridge Consolidated Grant. GMK is supported by the Royal Society as a Royal Society University Research Fellow. Herschel is an ESA space observatory with science instruments provided by European-led Principal Investigator consortia and with important participation from NASA
Dynamics of cold circumstellar gas in debris discs
This is the final version. Available on open access from Oxford University Press via the DOI in this recordData availability: The data underlying this article will be shared on reasonable request to the corresponding author.Mounting observational evidence indicates that cold circumstellar gas is present in debris disc systems. This work focuses on various dynamical processes that debris disc gas may undergo. We review five mechanisms that can transport angular momentum and their applications to debris discs. These include molecular viscosity, hydrodynamic turbulence, magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulence, magnetized disc winds, and laminar magnetic stress. We find that molecular viscosity can result in α as high as ≲0.1 for sufficiently low densities, while the Rossby wave instability is a possible source of hydrodynamic turbulence and structure formation. We argue that the vertical shear instability is unlikely due to the long cooling times. The onset of the magnetorotational instability (MRI) is dichotomous: for low-density discs the MRI can be excited at the mid-plane, while for high-mass discs it may only be operating at z > 2 − 3H, if at all. The MHD wind and laminar magnetic stress mechanisms rely on the configuration and strength of any background large-scale magnetic field, the existence of which is uncertain and possibly unlikely. We conclude that the dominant mechanism and its efficiency in transporting angular momentum vary from one system to the other, depending especially closely on the gas density. More detailed analyses shall be performed in the future focusing on representative, nearby debris discs.Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC)Royal Societ
The Big Sibling of AU Mic: A Cold Dust-rich Debris Disk around CP-72 2713 in the β Pic Moving Group
Analyzing Spitzer and Herschel archival measurements we identified a hitherto
unknown debris disk around the young K7/M0 star CP-72 2713. The system belongs
to the 24Myr old Pic moving group. Our new 1.33mm continuum
observation, obtained with the ALMA 7-m array, revealed an extended dust disk
with a peak radius of 140au, probably tracing the location of the planetesimal
belt in the system. The disk is outstandingly large compared to known spatially
resolved debris disks and also to protoplanetary disks around stars of
comparable masses. The dynamical excitation of the belt at this radius is found
to be reconcilable with planetary stirring, while self-stirring by large
planetesimals embedded in the belt can work only if these bodies form very
rapidly, e.g. via pebble concentration. By analyzing the spectral energy
distribution we derived a characteristic dust temperature of 43K and a
fractional luminosity of 1.110. The latter value is prominently
high, we know only four other similarly dust-rich Kuiper-belt analogs within
40pc of the Sun
Unraveling the Mystery of Exozodiacal Dust
Exozodiacal dust clouds are thought to be the extrasolar analogs of the Solar System's zodiacal dust. Studying these systems provides insights in the architecture of the innermost regions of planetary systems, including the Habitable Zone. Furthermore, the mere presence of the dust may result in major obstacles for direct imaging of earth-like planets. Our EXOZODI project aims to detect and study exozodiacal dust and to explain its origin. We are carrying out the first large, near-infrared interferometric survey in the northern (CHARA/FLUOR) and southern (VLTI/PIONIER) hemispheres. Preliminary results suggest a detection rate of up to 30% around A to K type stars and interesting trends with spectral type and age. We focus here on presenting the observational work carried out by our tea
Planet Signatures in Collisionally Active Debris Discs: scattered light images
Planet perturbations are often invoked as a potential explanation for many
spatial structures that have been imaged in debris discs. So far this issue has
been mostly investigated with collisionless N-body numerical models. We
numerically investigate how the coupled effect of collisions and radiation
pressure can affect the formation and survival of radial and azimutal
structures in a disc perturbed by a planet. We consider two set-ups: a planet
embedded within an extended disc and a planet exterior to an inner debris ring.
We use the DyCoSS code of Thebault(2012) and derive synthetic images of the
system in scattered light. The planet's mass and orbit, as well as the disc's
collisional activity are explored as free parameters.
We find that collisions always significantly damp planet-induced structures.
For the case of an embedded planet, the planet's signature, mostly a density
gap around its radial position, should remain detectable in head-on images if
M_planet > M_Saturn. If the system is seen edge-on, however, inferring the
presence of the planet is much more difficult, although some planet-induced
signatures might be observable under favourable conditions.
For the inner-ring/external-planet case, planetary perturbations cannot
prevent collision-produced small fragments from populating the regions beyond
the ring: The radial luminosity profile exterior to the ring is close to the
one it should have in the absence of the planet. However, a Jovian planet on a
circular orbit leaves precessing azimutal structures that can be used to
indirectly infer its presence. For a planet on an eccentric orbit, the ring is
elliptic and the pericentre glow effect is visible despite of collisions and
radiation pressure, but detecting such features in real discs is not an
unambiguous indicator of the presence of an outer planet.Comment: Accepted for Publication in A&A (NOTE: Abridged abstract and
(very)LowRes Figures. Better version, with High Res figures and full abstract
can be found at http://lesia.obspm.fr/perso/philippe-thebault/planpapph.pdf
Exocometary gas structure, origin and physical properties around β Pictoris through ALMA CO multitransition observations
Recent ALMA observations unveiled the structure of CO gas in the 23 Myr-old
Pictoris planetary system, a component that has been discovered in many
similarly young debris disks. We here present ALMA CO J=2-1 observations, at an
improved spectro-spatial resolution and sensitivity compared to previous CO
J=3-2 observations. We find that 1) the CO clump is radially broad, favouring
the resonant migration over the giant impact scenario for its dynamical origin,
2) the CO disk is vertically tilted compared to the main dust disk, at an angle
consistent with the scattered light warp. We then use position-velocity
diagrams to trace Keplerian radii in the orbital plane of the disk. Assuming a
perfectly edge-on geometry, this shows a CO scale height increasing with radius
as , and an electron density (derived from CO line ratios through
NLTE analysis) in agreement with thermodynamical models. Furthermore, we show
how observations of optically thin line ratios can solve the primordial versus
secondary origin dichotomy in gas-bearing debris disks. As shown for
Pictoris, subthermal (NLTE) CO excitation is symptomatic of H densities
that are insufficient to shield CO from photodissociation over the system's
lifetime. This means that replenishment from exocometary volatiles must be
taking place, proving the secondary origin of the disk. In this scenario,
assuming steady state production/destruction of CO gas, we derive the CO+CO
ice abundance by mass in Pic's exocomets to be at most 6%,
consistent with comets in our own Solar System and in the coeval HD181327
system.LM acknowledges support by STFC and ESO through graduate studentships and, together with MCW and QK, by the European Union through ERC grant number 279973. Work of OP is funded by the Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowship, and AMH gratefully acknowledges support from NSF grant AST-1412647.This is the final version of the article. It first appeared from Oxford University Press via https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stw241
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