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Scientific paper
Jul 2003
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2003hst..prop.9861k&link_type=abstract
HST Proposal ID #9861
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Hst Proposal Id #9861 Ism And Circumstellar Matter
Scientific paper
The emerging picture for planetesimal disks around main sequence stars is that their radial and azimuthal symmetries are significantly deformed by the dynamical effects of either planets interior to the disk, or stellar objects exterior to the disk. The cause of these structures, such as the 50 AU cutoff of our Kuiper Belt, remains mysterious. Structure in the beta Pic planetesimal disk could be due to dynamics controlled by an extrasolar planet, or by the tidal influence of a more massive object exterior to the disk. The hypothesis of an extrasolar planet causing the vertical deformation in the disk predicts a blue color to the disk perpendicular to the disk midplane. The hypothesis that a stellar perturber deforms the disk predicts a globally uniform color and the existence of ring-like structure beyond 800 AU radius. We propose to obtain deep, multi-color images of the beta Pic disk ansae in the region 15"-220" {200-4000 AU} radius with the ACS WFC. The unparalleled stability of the HST PSF means that these data are uniquely capable of delivering the color sensitivity that can distinguish between the two theories of beta Pic's disk structure. Ascertaining the cause of such structure provide a meaningful context for understanding the dynamical history of our early solar system, as well as other planetesimal systems imaged around main sequence stars.
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