CONSTRAINING THE PLANETARY SYSTEM OF FOMALHAUT USING HIGH-RESOLUTION ALMA OBSERVATIONS
- Department of Astronomy, University of Florida, 211 Bryant Space Science Center, Gainesville, FL 32611 (United States)
- North American ALMA Science Center, National Radio Astronomy Observatory, 520 Edgemont Road, Charlottesville, VA 22903 (United States)
- ALMA, Alonso de Cordova 3107, Vitacura, Santiago (Chile)
The dynamical evolution of planetary systems leaves observable signatures in debris disks. Optical images trace micron-sized grains, which are strongly affected by stellar radiation and need not coincide with their parent body population. Observations of millimeter-sized grains accurately trace parent bodies, but previous images lack the resolution and sensitivity needed to characterize the ring's morphology. Here we present ALMA 350 GHz observations of the Fomalhaut debris ring. These observations demonstrate that the parent body population is 13-19 AU wide with a sharp inner and outer boundary. We discuss three possible origins for the ring and suggest that debris confined by shepherd planets is the most consistent with the ring's morphology.
- OSTI ID:
- 22047855
- Journal Information:
- Astrophysical Journal Letters, Vol. 750, Issue 1; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 2041-8205
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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