Nemesis Class Exoplanets are Truly bad News

The fates of Solar system analogues with one additional distant planet

Author:

Veras

Abstract:

The potential existence of a distant planet ("Planet Nine") in the Solar system has prompted a re-think about the evolution of planetary systems. As the Sun transitions from a main sequence star into a white dwarf, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune are currently assumed to survive in expanded but otherwise unchanged orbits. However, a sufficiently-distant and sufficiently-massive extra planet would alter this quiescent end scenario through the combined effects of Solar giant branch mass loss and Galactic tides. Here, I estimate bounds for the mass and orbit of a distant extra planet that would incite future instability in systems with a Sun-like star and giant planets with masses and orbits equivalent to those of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. I find that this boundary is diffuse and strongly dependent on each of the distant planet's orbital parameters. Nevertheless, I claim that instability occurs more often than not when the planet is as massive as Jupiter and harbours a semimajor axis exceeding about 300 au, or has a mass of a super-Earth and a semimajor axis exceeding about 3000 au. These results hold for orbital pericentres ranging from 100 to at least 400 au. This instability scenario might represent a common occurrence, as potentially evidenced by the ubiquity of metal pollution in white dwarf atmospheres throughout the Galaxy.

What is the Frequency of Exoplanets in Wide Circumbinary Orbits

SPOTS: The Search for Planets Orbiting Two Stars: II. First constraints on the frequency of sub-stellar companions on wide circumbinary orbits

Authors:

Bonavita et al

Abstract:

A large number of direct imaging surveys for exoplanets have been performed in recent years, yielding the first directly imaged planets and providing constraints on the prevalence and distribution of wide planetary systems. However, like most of the radial velocity ones, these surveys generally focus on single stars, hence binaries and higher-order multiples have not been studied to the same level of scrutiny. This motivated the SPOTS (Search for Planets Orbiting Two Stars) survey, which is an ongoing direct imaging study of a large sample of close binaries, started with VLT/NACO and now continuing with VLT/SPHERE. To complement this survey, we have identified the close binary targets in 24 published direct imaging surveys. Here we present our statistical analysis of this combined body of data. We analysed a sample of 117 tight binary systems, using a combined Monte Carlo and Bayesian approach to derive the expected values of the frequency of companions, for different values of the companion's semi-major axis. Our analysis suggest that the frequency of sub-stellar companions in wide orbit is moderately low (≲13% with a best value of 6% at 95% confidence level) and not significantly different between single stars and tight binaries. One implication of this result is that the very high frequency of circumbinary planets in wide orbits around post-common envelope binaries, implied by eclipse timing (up to 90% according to Zorotovic & Schreiber 2013), can not be uniquely due to planets formed before the common-envelope phase (first generation planets), supporting instead the second generation planet formation or a non-Keplerian origin of the timing variations.

SEARCHING FOR SCATTERERS: HIGH-CONTRAST IMAGING OF YOUNG STARS HOSTING WIDE-SEPARATION PLANETARY-MASS COMPANIONS

SEARCHING FOR SCATTERERS: HIGH-CONTRAST IMAGING OF YOUNG STARS HOSTING WIDE-SEPARATION PLANETARY-MASS COMPANIONS

Authors:

Bryan et al

Abstract:

We have conducted an angular differential imaging survey with NIRC2 at Keck in search of close-in substellar companions to a sample of seven systems with confirmed planetary-mass companions (PMCs) on wide orbits (>50 au). These wide-separation PMCs pose significant challenges to all three possible formation mechanisms: core accretion plus scattering, disk instability, and turbulent fragmentation. We explore the possibility that these companions formed closer in and were scattered out to their present-day locations by searching for other massive bodies at smaller separations. The typical sensitivity for this survey is ΔK ~ 12.5 at 1''. We identify eight candidate companions, whose masses would reach as low as one Jupiter mass if gravitationally bound. From our multi-epoch astrometry we determine that seven of these are conclusively background objects, while the eighth near DH Tau is ambiguous and requires additional monitoring. We rule out the presence of >7 M Jup bodies in these systems down to 15–50 au that could be responsible for scattering. This result combined with the totality of evidence suggests that dynamical scattering is unlikely to have produced this population of PMCs. We detect orbital motion from the companions ROXs 42B b and ROXs 12 b, and from this determine 95% upper limits on the companions' eccentricities of 0.58 and 0.83 respectively. Finally, we find that the 95% upper limit on the occurrence rate of additional planets with masses between 5 and 15 M Jup outside of 40 au in systems with PMCs is 54%.

Migration of accreting planets in radiative discs from dynamical torques

Migration of accreting planets in radiative discs from dynamical torques

Authors:

Pierens et al

Abstract:

We present the results of hydrodynamical simulations of the orbital evolution of planets undergoing runaway gas accretion in radiative discs. We consider accreting disc models with constant mass flux through the disc, and where radiative cooling balances the effect of viscous heating and stellar irradiation. We assume that 20-30 M⊕ giant planet cores are formed in the region where viscous heating dominates and migrate outward under the action of a strong entropy-related corotation torque. In the case where gas accretion is neglected and for an α viscous stress parameter α = 2 × 10−3, we find evidence for strong dynamical torques in accreting discs with accretion rates M˙≳7×10−8M⊙/yr. Their main effect is to increase outward migration rates by a factor of ∼2 typically. In the presence of gas accretion, however, runaway outward migration is observed with the planet passing through the zero-torque radius and the transition between the viscous heating and stellar heating dominated regimes. The ability for an accreting planet to enter a fast migration regime is found to depend strongly on the planet growth rate, but can occur for values of the mass flux through the disc of M˙≳5×10−8M⊙/yr. We find that an episode of runaway outward migration can cause an accreting planet formed in the 5-10 AU region to temporarily orbit at star-planet separations as large as ∼60-70 AU. However, increase in the amplitude of the Lindblad torque associated with planet growth plus change in the streamline topology near the planet systematically cause the direction of migration to be reversed. Subsequent evolution corresponds to the planet migrating inward rapidly until it becomes massive enough to open a gap in the disc and migrate in the Type II regime. Our results indicate that a planet can reach large orbital distances under the combined effect of dynamical torques and gas accretion, but an alternative mechanism is required to explain the presence of massive planets on wide orbits.

Do Wide Orbit Gas Giants Produce Scattered Exoplanets?

Searching for Scatterers: High-Contrast Imaging of Young Stars Hosting Wide-Separation Planetary-Mass Companions

Authors:

Bryan et al

Abstract:

We have conducted an angular differential imaging survey with NIRC2 at Keck in search of close-in substellar companions to a sample of seven systems with confirmed planetary-mass companions (PMCs) on wide orbits (>50 AU). These wide-separation PMCs pose significant challenges to all three possible formation mechanisms: core accretion plus scattering, disk instability, and turbulent fragmentation. We explore the possibility that these companions formed closer in and were scattered out to their present-day locations by searching for other massive bodies at smaller separations. The typical sensitivity for this survey is \Delta K ~ 12.5 at 1". We identify eight candidate companions, whose masses would reach as low as one Jupiter mass if gravitationally bound. From our multi-epoch astrometry we determine that seven of these are conclusively background objects, while the eighth near DH Tau is ambiguous and requires additional monitoring. We rule out the presence of >7 MJup bodies in these systems down to 15 - 50 AU that could be responsible for scattering. This result combined with the totality of evidence suggests that dynamical scattering is unlikely to have produced this population of PMCs. We detect orbital motion from the companions ROXs 42B b and ROXs 12 b, and from this determine 95% upper limits on the companions' eccentricities of 0.58 and 0.83 respectively. Finally, we find that the 95% upper limit on the occurrence rate of additional planets with masses between 5 - 15 MJup outside of 40 AU in systems with PMCs is 54%.

HD 131399Ab: a Directly Imaged 4 Jupiter Mass Gas Giant in a Trinary System

Direct imaging discovery of a Jovian exoplanet within a triple-star system

Authors:

Wagner et al

Abstract:

Direct imaging allows for the detection and characterization of exoplanets via their thermal emission. We report the discovery via imaging of a young Jovian planet in a triple star system and characterize its atmospheric properties through near-infrared spectroscopy. The semi-major axis of the planet is closer relative to that of its hierarchical triple star system than for any known exoplanet within a stellar binary or triple, making HD 131399 dynamically unlike any other known system. The location of HD 131399Ab on a wide orbit in a triple system demonstrates that massive planets may be found on long and possibly unstable orbits in multi-star systems. HD 131399Ab is one of the lowest mass (4 ± 1 MJup) and coldest (850 ± 50 K) exoplanets to have been directly imaged.

pop sci links 1st, 2nd, 3rd.

Detecting Wide Orbiting Exoplanets Through Micro Lensing

PROPERTIES AND DETECTION LIMITS OF PLANETARY CAUSTIC PERTURBATION INDUCED BY A WIDE-SEPARATION PLANET

Authors:

Ryu et al

Abstract:

Microlensing experiments are entering a next generation of survey types to monitor a wide field of view continuously with a frequent sampling. The theoretically predicted sensitivity of a planet detection on the lensing parameters can be used for the establishment of observational strategies for maximal planet detections. Hence, we investigate the detection condition of planetary signals caused by the planetary caustic. We calculate the deviation area induced by the planetary caustic for various lensing parameters and find that the deviation area generally increases according to the increase of the source radius. However, after the normalized source radius approaches a certain value the deviation area rapidly decreases and disappears at the same normalized source radius, regardless of the mass ratio and the separation between the planet and its host star. We find a simple relation between the normalized source radius and the deviation threshold for the largest and smallest deviation areas. From this relation we also find an analytic condition for the detection limit of the planetary signal as the function of the source radius and the deviation threshold. In addition, we compare the deviation areas and the light curves between the planetary caustic perturbation and a free-floating planet. We find that the planetary caustic perturbation can be approximated by the single-lensing light curve of the planet itself perturbed by the planetary caustic. Finally, we can expect to find a low-mass planet with the Earth's mass or even that of the Earth's moon from the detection condition and conclude that our findings may help for maximal planet detections considering the source type and the photometric accuracy.

Statistics of Long Period Gas Giant Planets in Known Planetary Systems

Statistics of Long Period Gas Giant Planets in Known Planetary Systems

Authors:

Bryan et al

Abstract:

We conducted a Doppler survey at Keck combined with NIRC2 K-band AO imaging to search for massive, long-period companions to 123 known exoplanet systems with one or two planets detected using the radial velocity (RV) method. Our survey is sensitive to Jupiter mass planets out to 20 AU for a majority of stars in our sample, and we report the discovery of eight new long-period planets, in addition to 20 systems with statistically significant RV trends indicating the presence of an outer companion beyond 5 AU. We combine our RV observations with AO imaging to determine the range of allowed masses and orbital separations for these companions, and account for variations in our sensitivity to companions among stars in our sample. We estimate the total occurrence rate of companions in our sample to be 52 +/- 5% over the range 1 - 20 M_Jup and 5 - 20 AU. Our data also suggest a declining frequency for gas giant planets in these systems beyond 3-10 AU, in contrast to earlier studies that found a rising frequency for giant planets in the range 0.01-3 AU. This suggests either that the frequency of gas giant planets peaks between 3-10 AU, or that outer companions in these systems have a different semi-major axis distribution than the overall gas giant planet population. Our results also suggest that hot gas giants may be more likely to have an outer companion than cold gas giants. We find that planets with an outer companion have higher average eccentricities than their single counterparts, suggesting that dynamical interactions between planets may play an important role in these systems.

Is 2MASS J21265040-8140293 Really TYC 9486-927-1b or TYC 9486-927-1B? The Widest Separation SuperJupiter or L Class Brown Dwarf Known

A nearby young M dwarf with a wide, possibly planetary-mass companion

Authors:

Deacon et al

Abstract:

We present the identification of two previously known young objects in the solar neighbourhood as a likely very wide binary. TYC 9486-927-1, an active, rapidly rotating early-M dwarf, and 2MASS J21265040-8140293, a low-gravity L3 dwarf previously identified as candidate members of the ∼45 Myr old Tucana Horologium association (TucHor). An updated proper motion measurement of the L3 secondary, and a detailed analysis of the pair's kinematics in the context of known nearby, young stars, reveals that they share common proper motion and are likely bound. New observations and analyses reveal the primary exhibits Li 6708~\AA~absorption consistent with M dwarfs younger than TucHor but older than the ∼10 Myr TW Hydra association yielding an age range of 10-45 Myr. A revised kinematic analysis suggests the space motions and positions of the pair are closer to, but not entirely in agreement with, the ∼24 Myr old β Pictoris moving group. This revised 10-45 Myr age range yields a mass range of 11.6--15 MJ for the secondary. It is thus likely 2MASS J21265040-8140293short is the widest orbit planetary mass object known (greater than 4500AU) and its estimated mass, age, spectral type, and Teff are similar to the well-studied planet β Pictoris b. Because of their extreme separation and youth, this low-mass pair provide an interesting case study for very wide binary formation and evolution.

SOPHIE's Hunt for Long-period Brown Dwarf Companions

The SOPHIE search for northern extrasolar planets VIII. Follow-up of ELODIE candidates: long-period brown-dwarf companions

Authors:

Bouchy et al

Abstract:

Long-period brown dwarf companions detected in radial velocity surveys are important targets for direct imaging and astrometry to calibrate the mass-luminosity relation of substellar objects. Through a 20-year radial velocity monitoring of solar-type stars that began with ELODIE and was extended with SOPHIE spectrographs, giant exoplanets and brown dwarfs with orbital periods longer than ten years are discovered. We report the detection of five new potential brown dwarfs with minimum masses between 32 and 83 Jupiter mass orbiting solar-type stars with periods longer than ten years. An upper mass limit of these companions is provided using astrometric Hipparcos data, high-angular resolution imaging made with PUEO, and a deep analysis of the cross-correlation function of the main stellar spectra to search for blend effects or faint secondary components. These objects double the number of known brown dwarf companions with orbital periods longer than ten years and reinforce the conclusion that the occurrence of such objects increases with orbital separation. With a projected separation larger than 100 mas, all these brown dwarf candidates are appropriate targets for high-contrast and high angular resolution imaging.

How Common are Nemesis Class Gas Giants and Brown Dwarfs Around G Dwarf Stars?

The VLT/NaCo large program to probe the occurrence of exoplanets and brown dwarfs at wide orbits. III. The frequency of brown dwarfs and giant planets as companions to solar-type stars

Authors:

Reggiani et al

Abstract:

In recent years there have been many attempts to characterize the occurrence of stellar, BD and planetary-mass companions to solar-type stars, with the aim of constraining formation mechanisms. From RV observations a dearth of companions with masses between 10-40 MJup has been noticed at close separations, suggesting the possibility of a distinct formation mechanism for objects above and below this range. We present a model for the substellar companion mass function (CMF). It consists of the superposition of the planet and BD companion mass distributions, assuming that we can extrapolate the RV measured companion mass function for planets to larger separations and the stellar companion mass-ratio distribution over all separations into the BD mass regime. By using both the results of the VLT/NaCo large program and the complementary archive datasets that probe the occurrence of planets and BDs on wide orbits around solar-type stars, we place some constraints on the planet and BD distributions. We developed a MC simulation tool to predict the outcome of a given survey, depending on the shape of the orbital parameter distributions. Comparing the predictions with the results of the observations, we calculate how likely different models are and which can be ruled out. Current observations are consistent with the proposed model for the CMF, as long as a sufficiently small outer truncation radius is introduced for the planet separation distribution. The results of the direct imaging surveys searching for substellar companions around Sun-like stars are consistent with a combined substellar mass spectrum of planets and BDs. This mass distribution has a minimum between 10 and 50 MJup, in agreement with RV measurements. The dearth of objects in this mass range would naturally arise from the shape of the mass distribution, without the introduction of any distinct formation mechanism for BDs.

Seven Stellar Companions Span 'Brown Dwarf Desert'

Discovery of Seven Companions to Intermediate Mass Stars with Extreme Mass Ratios in the Scorpius-Centaurus Association

Authors:

Hinkley et al

Abstract:

We report the detection of seven low mass companions to intermediate-mass stars (SpT B/A/F; M≈1.5-4.5 solar masses) in the Scorpius-Centaurus Association using nonredundant aperture masking interferometry. Our newly detected objects have contrasts ΔL′≈4-6, corresponding to masses as low as ∼20 Jupiter masses and mass ratios of q≈0.01-0.08, depending on the assumed age of the target stars. With projected separations ρ≈10-30 AU, our aperture masking detections sample an orbital region previously unprobed by conventional adaptive optics imaging of intermediate mass Scorpius-Centaurus stars covering much larger orbital radii (≈30-3000 AU). At such orbital separations, these objects resemble higher mass versions of the directly imaged planetary mass companions to the 10-30 Myr, intermediate-mass stars HR 8799, β Pictoris, and HD95086. These newly discovered companions span the brown dwarf desert, and their masses and orbital radii provide a new constraint on models of the formation of low-mass stellar and substellar companions to intermediate-mass stars.

J0219-3925B: a new L Class "Nemesis" Brown Dwarf

BANYAN. VI. Discovery of a companion at the brown dwarf/planet-mass limit to a Tucana-Horologium M dwarf

Authors:

Artigau et al

Abstract:

We report the discovery of a substellar companion to 2MASS J02192210-3925225, a young M6 γ candidate member of the Tucana-Horologium association (30 - 40 Myr). This L4 γ companion has been discovered with seeing-limited direct imaging observations; at a 4" separation (160AU) and a modest contrast ratio, it joins the very short list of young low-mass companions amenable to study without the aid of adaptive optics, enabling its characterization with a much wider suite of instruments than is possible for companions uncovered by high-contrast imaging surveys. With a model-dependent mass of 12-15MJup, it straddles the boundary between the planet and brown dwarf mass regimes. We present near-infrared spectroscopy of this companion and compare it to various similar objects uncovered in the last few years. The J0219-3925 system falls in a sparsely populated part of the host mass versus mass ratio diagram for binaries; the dearth of known similar companions may be due to observational biases in previous low-mass companion searches.

Nemesis Class Giant Planet HD 106906b's Interaction With the Stellarward Dusty Debris Disk

A debris disk under the influence of a wide planetary mass companion: The system of HD106906

Authors:

Jilkova et al

Abstract:

The 13 Myr old star HD106906 is orbited by a debris disk of at least 0.067 M_Moon with an inner and outer radius of 20 AU and 120 AU, respectively, and by a planet at a distance of 650 AU. We use this curious combination of a close low-mass disk and a wide planet to motivate our simulations of this system. We study the parameter space of the initial conditions to quantify the mass loss from the debris disk and its lifetime under the influence of the planet. We find that when the planet orbits closer to the star than about 50 AU and with low inclination relative to the disk (less than about 10 degrees), more disk material is perturbed outside than inside the region constrained by observations on timescales shorter than 1 Myr. Considering the age of the system, such a short lifetime of the disk is incompatible with the timescale for planet--planet scattering which is one of the scenarios suggested to explain the wide separation of the planet. For some configurations when the planet's orbit is inclined with respect to the disk, the latter will start to wobble. We argue that this wobbling is caused by a mechanism similar to the Kozai--Lidov oscillations. We also observe various resonant structures (such as rings and spiral arms) induced in the disk by the planet.

Detection of Water, Methane and Carbon Monoxide in HR 8799b's Atmosphere

Simultaneous Detection of Water, Methane and Carbon Monoxide in the Atmosphere of Exoplanet HR8799b

Authors:

Barman et al

Abstract:

Absorption lines from water, methane and carbon monoxide are detected in the atmosphere of exoplanet HR8799b. A medium-resolution spectrum presented here shows well-resolved and easily identified spectral features from all three molecules across the K band. The majority of the lines are produced by CO and H2O, but several lines clearly belong to CH4. Comparisons between these data and atmosphere models covering a range of temperatures and gravities yield log mole fractions of H2O between -3.09 and -3.91, CO between -3.30 and -3.72 and CH4 between -5.06 and -5.85. More precise mole fractions are obtained for each temperature and gravity studied. A reanalysis of H-band data, previously obtained at similar spectral resolution, results in a nearly identical water abundance as determined from the K-band spectrum. The methane abundance is shown to be sensitive to vertical mixing and indicates an eddy diffusion coefficient in the range of 10^6 to 10^8 cm^2 s^-1, comparable to mixing in the deep troposphere of Jupiter. The model comparisons also indicate a C/O between ~ 0.58 and 0.7, encompassing previous estimates for a second planet in the same system, HR8799c. Super-stellar C/O could indicate planet formation by core-accretion, however, the range of possible C/O for these planets (and the star) is currently too large to comment strongly on planet formation. More precise values of the bulk properties (e.g., effective temperature and surface gravity) are needed for improved abundance estimates.

Refining the Architecture of the HR 8799 System

The LEECH Exoplanet Imaging Survey. Further constraints on the planet architecture of the HR 8799 system

Authors:

Maire et al

Abstract:

Context. Astrometric monitoring of directly-imaged exoplanets allows the study of their orbital parameters and system architectures. Because most directly-imaged planets have long orbital periods (>20 AU), accurate astrometry is challenging when based on data acquired on timescales of a few years and usually with different instruments. The LMIRCam camera on the LBT is being used for the LEECH survey to search for and characterize young and adolescent exoplanets in L' band, including their system architectures. Aims. We first aim to provide a good astrometric calibration of LMIRCam. Then, we derive new astrometry, test the predictions of the orbital model of 8:4:2:1 mean motion resonance proposed by Go\'zdziewski & Migaszewski, and perform new orbital fitting of the HR 8799 bcde planets. We also present deep limits on a putative fifth planet interior to the known planets. Methods. We use observations of HR 8799 and the Theta1 Ori C field obtained during the same run in October 2013. Results. We first characterize the distortion of LMIRCam. We determine a platescale and a true north orientation for the images of 10.707 +/- 0.012 mas/pix and -0.430 +/- 0.076 deg, respectively. The errors on the platescale and true north orientation translate into astrometric accuracies at a separation of 1 of 1.1 mas and 1.3 mas, respectively. The measurements for all planets are usually in agreement within 3 sigma with the ephemeris predicted by Go\'zdziewski & Migaszewski. The orbital fitting based on the new astrometric measurements favors an architecture for the planetary system based on 8:4:2:1 mean motion resonance. The detection limits allow us to exclude a fifth planet slightly brighter/more massive than HR 8799 b at the location of the 2:1 resonance with HR 8799 e (~9.5 AU) and about twice as bright as HR 8799 cde at the location of the 3:1 resonance with HR 8799 e (~7.5 AU).

Latest Imagery of epsilon Eridani's Debris Disk Strongly Supports Exoplanet Presence

MAMBO image of the debris disk around epsilon Eridani : robustness of the azimuthal structure

Authors:

Lestrade et al

Abstract:

The debris disk closest to Earth is the one around the star epsilon Eridani at a distance of 3.2 pc. It is the prime target for detailed studies of a belt of planetesimals left from the early phase of planet formation other than the Kuiper Belt. The non-uniform ring-like structure around epsilon Eridani, originally discovered at lambda=850 microns with the bolometer camera SCUBA, could be the signpost of unseen long-period planets interior to the disk that gravitationally interact with it through mean-motion resonances. However, the reliability of the structure at 850 microns, which has been debated, has not been verified with independent observations until now. We present a high signal-to-noise ratio image of this structure at lambda=1.2 mm made with the bolometer camera MAMBO and compare this with the SCUBA image. We have found that three of the four emission clumps (NE, NW, SW) and the two deep hollows to the east and west are at the same positions in the MAMBO and SCUBA images within astrometric uncertainty. The SE clump is at odds, significantly brighter and more extended in the SCUBA than in the MAMBO images, but it is possible that this mismatch is an artifact. We conclude that this degree of positional coincidence provides tentative evidence that the observed structure is robust. In addition, we present the radial brightness profile of our MAMBO image and show that the width of the planetesimal belt around epsilon Eridani is narrower than 22 AU, a more stringent upper limit than determined from previous observations. The corresponding relative width is 0.1 less than ΔR/R less than 0.4, which is lower than for the Kuiper Belt.

The Outer Disk Around T Cha

High resolution observations of the outer disk around T Cha: the view from ALMA

Authors:

Huelamo et al

Abstract:

T Cha is a young star surrounded by a transitional disk with signatures of planet formation. We have obtained high-resolution and high-sensitivity ALMA observations of T Cha in the CO(3--2), 13CO(3--2), and CS(7--6) emission lines to reveal the spatial distribution of the gaseous disk around the star. In order to study the dust within the disk we have also obtained continuum images at 850μm from the line-free channels. We have spatially resolved the outer disk around T Cha. Using the CO(3-2) emission we derive a radius of ∼230 AU. We also report the detection of the 13CO(3-2) and the CS(7-8) molecular emissions, which show smaller radii than the CO(3-2) detection. The continuum observations at 850μm allow the spatial resolution of the dusty disk, which shows two emission bumps separated by ∼40AU, consistent with the presence of a dust gap in the inner regions of the disk, and an outer radius of ∼80AU. Therefore, T Cha is surrounded by a compact dusty disk and a larger and more diffuse gaseous disk, as previously observed in other young stars. The continuum intensity profiles are different at both sides of the disk suggesting possible dust asymmetries. We derive an inclination of i(deg)=67±5, and a position angle of PA (deg)= 113±6, for both the gas and dust disks. The comparison of the ALMA data with radiative transfer models shows that the gas and dust components can only be simultaneously reproduced when we include a tapered edge prescription for the surface density profile. The best model suggests that most of the disk mass is placed within a radius of R< 50AU. Finally, we derive a dynamical mass for the central object of M∗=1.5±0.2M⊙, comparable to the one estimated with evolutionary models for an age of ∼10Myr.

Slo-Mo Formation of Nemesis Class SuperEarths

Formation of Super-Earth Mass Planets at 125-250 AU from a Solar-type Star

Authors:

Kenyon et al

Abstract:

We investigate pathways for the formation of icy super-Earth mass planets orbiting at 125-250 AU around a 1 solar mass star. An extensive suite of coagulation calculations demonstrates that swarms of 1 cm to 10 m planetesimals can form super-Earth mass planets on time scales of 1-3 Gyr. Collisional damping of 0.01-100 cm particles during oligarchic growth is a highlight of these simulations. In some situations, damping initiates a second runaway growth phase where 100-3000 km protoplanets grow to super-Earth sizes. Our results establish the initial conditions and physical processes required for in situ formation of super-Earth planets at large distances from the host star. For nearby dusty disks in HD 107146, HD 202628, and HD 207129, ongoing super-Earth formation at 80-150 AU could produce gaps and other structures in the debris. In the solar system, forming a putative planet X at a less than 300 AU (a greater than 1000 AU) requires a modest (very massive) protosolar nebula.

Nemesis Class Wide Orbit Substellar Companion to Binary FW Tau System

An ALMA Disk Mass for the Candidate Protoplanetary Companion to FW Tau

Authors:

Kraus et al

Abstract:

We present ALMA observations of the FW Tau system, a close binary pair of M5 stars with a wide-orbit (300 AU projected separation) substellar companion. The companion is extremely faint and red in the optical and near-infrared, but boasts a weak far-infrared excess and optical/near-infrared emission lines indicative of a primordial accretion disk of gas and dust. The component-resolved 1.3 mm continuum emission is found to be associated only with the companion, with a flux (1.78 +/- 0.03 mJy) that indicates a dust mass of 1-2 M_Earth. While this mass reservoir is insufficient to form a giant planet, it is more than sufficient to produce an analog of the Kepler-42 exoplanetary system or the Galilean satellites. The mass and geometry of the disk-bearing FW Tau companion remains unclear. Near-infrared spectroscopy shows deep water bands that indicate a spectral type later than M5, but substantial veiling prevents a more accurate determination of the effective temperature (and hence mass). Both a disk-bearing "planetary-mass" companion seen in direct light or a brown dwarf tertiary viewed in light scattered by an edge-on disk or envelope remain possibilities.