A 5 Micron Image of beta Pictoris b at a Sub-Jupiter Projected Separation: Evidence for a Misalignment Between the Planet and the Inner, Warped Disk

Details A 5 Micron Image of beta Pictoris b at a Sub-Jupiter Projected Separation: Evidence for a Misalignment Between the Planet and the Inner, Warped Disk A 5 Micron Image of beta Pictoris b at a Sub-Jupiter Projected Separation: Evidence for a Misalignment Between the Planet and the Inner, Warped Disk

2011-05-23

arxiv.org/abs/1105.4607v3

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astrophysics

Earth and Planetary Astrophysics

6 pages, 4 figures, 1 table; accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal Letters

Scientific paper

We present and analyze a new M' detection of the young exoplanet beta Pictoris b from 2008 VLT/NaCo data at a separation of ~ 4 AU and a high signal-to-noise rereduction of L' data taken in December 2009. Based on our orbital analysis, the planet's orbit is viewed almost perfectly edge-on (i ~ 89 degrees) and has a Saturn-like semimajor axis of 9.50 (+3.93, -1.7) AU. Intriguingly, the planet's orbit is aligned with the major axis of the outer disk (Omega ~ 31 degrees) but probably misaligned with the warp/inclined disk at 80 AU often cited as a signpost for the planet's existence. Our results motivate new studies to clarify how $\beta$ Pic b sculpts debris disk structures and whether a second planet is required to explain the warp/inclined disk.

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