2014ApJ...786...70K -
Astrophys. J., 786, 70 (2014/May-1)
Fomalhaut b as a cloud of dust: testing aspects of planet formation theory.
KENYON S.J., CURRIE T. and BROMLEY B.C.
Abstract (from CDS):
We consider the ability of three models–impacts, captures, and collisional cascades–to account for a bright cloud of dust in Fomalhaut b. Our analysis is based on a novel approach to the power-law size distribution of solid particles central to each model. When impacts produce debris with (1) little material in the largest remnant and (2) a steep size distribution, the debris has enough cross-sectional area to match observations of Fomalhaut b. However, published numerical experiments of impacts between 100 km objects suggest this outcome is unlikely. If collisional processes maintain a steep size distribution over a broad range of particle sizes (300 µm to 10 km), Earth-mass planets can capture enough material over 1-100 Myr to produce a detectable cloud of dust. Otherwise, capture fails. When young planets are surrounded by massive clouds or disks of satellites, a collisional cascade is the simplest mechanism for dust production in Fomalhaut b. Several tests using Hubble Space Telescope or James Webb Space Telescope data–including measuring the expansion/elongation of Fomalhaut b, looking for trails of small particles along Fomalhaut b's orbit, and obtaining low resolution spectroscopy–can discriminate among these models.
Abstract Copyright:
∼
Journal keyword(s):
planetary systems - planets and satellites: detection - planets and satellites: formation - planets and satellites: physical evolution - planets and satellites: rings
Simbad objects:
4
Full paper
View the references in ADS
To bookmark this query, right click on this link: simbad:2014ApJ...786...70K and select 'bookmark this link' or equivalent in the popup menu