Dust outflows and inner gaps generated by massive planets in debris disks

Abstract

Main sequence stars are commonly surrounded by debris disks, formed by cold far-IR-emitting dust that is thought to be continuously replenished by a reservoir of undetected dust-producing planetesimals. We have investigated the orbital evolution of dust particles in debris disks harboring massive planets. Small dust grains are blown out by radiation pressure, as is well known; in addition, gravitational scattering by the giant planets also creates an outflow of large grains. We describe the characteristics of this large-particle outflow in different planetary architectures and for different particle sizes. In addition, the ejection of particles is responsible for the clearing of dust inside the orbit of the planet. We study the efficiency of particle ejection and the resulting dust density contrast inside and outside the orbit of the planet, as a function of the planet's mass and orbital elements and the particle size. We discuss its implications for exo-planetary debris disks and for the interpretation of in-situ dust detection experiments on space probes traveling in the outer solar system.

32 pages (pre-print format), including 12 figures. Accepted to ApJ (2005). Due to space constrains Fig. 3-6 are at very low resolution

References in corpus (4)

• The Insignificance of P-R Drag in Detectable Extrasolar Planetesimal Belts
• Planets and IR Excesses: Preliminary Results from a Spitzer/MIPS Survey of Solar-Type Stars
• Dynamical models of Kuiper Belt dust in the inner and outer Solar System
• Signatures of Planets in Spatially Unresolved Disks

Cited by in corpus (26)

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• Variations on Debris Disks: Icy Planet Formation at 30-150 AU for 1-3 Solar Mass Main Sequence Stars
• The Complete Census of 70-um-Bright Debris Disks within the FEPS (Formation and Evolution of Planetary Systems) Spitzer Legacy Survey of Sun-like Stars
• DUst Around NEarby Stars. The survey observational results
• Formation and Evolution of Planetary Systems (FEPS): Properties of Debris Dust around Solar-type Stars
• New Debris Disks Around Nearby Main Sequence Stars: Impact on The Direct Detection of Planets
• Outer edges of debris discs: how sharp is sharp?
• Formation and Evolution of Planetary Systems: Placing Our Solar System in Context with Spitzer
• Chaotic exchange of solid material between planetary systems: implications for lithopanspermia
• A Survey for Massive Giant Planets in Debris Disks with Evacuated Inner Cavities
• The AU Microscopii Debris Disk: Multiwavelength Imaging and Modeling
• Are Debris Disks and Massive Planets Correlated?
• Variations on Debris Disks II. Icy Planet Formation as a Function of the Bulk Properties and Initial Sizes of Planetesimals
• An improved model of the Edgeworth-Kuiper debris disk
• On the Relationship Between Debris Disks and Planets
• The cold origin of the warm dust around epsilon Eridani
• The dust, planetesimals and planets of HD 38529
• On the nature of clumps in debris disks
• A Comprehensive Dust Model Applied to the Resolved Beta Pictoris Debris Disk from Optical to Radio Wavelengths
• The Inner Debris Structure in the Fomalhaut Planetary System
• Using warm dust to constrain unseen planets
• Dusty Planetary Systems
• The Kuiper Belt and Other Debris Disks
• Diffusive low optical depth particle disks truncated by planets
• Dynamical Heating Induced by Dwarf Planets on Cold Kuiper Belt-like Debris Disks
• On the Solar System-Debris Disk Connecction