A likely planet-induced gap in the disc around T Cha
File(s)1711.09933.pdf (597.35 KB)
Accepted version
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
We present high-resolution (0.11 × 0.06 arcsec2) 3 mm ALMA observations of the highly inclined transition disc around the star T Cha. Our continuum image reveals multiple dust structures: an inner disc, a spatially resolved dust gap, and an outer ring. When fitting sky-brightness models to the real component of the 3 mm visibilities, we infer that the inner emission is compact (≤1 au in radius), the gap width is between 18 and 28 au, and the emission from the outer ring peaks at ∼36 au. We compare our ALMA image with previously published 1.6 μm VLT/SPHERE imagery. This comparison reveals that the location of the outer ring is wavelength dependent. More specifically, the peak emission of the 3 mm ring is at a larger radial distance than that of the 1.6 μm ring, suggesting that millimeter-sized grains in the outer disc are located farther away from the central star than micron-sized grains. We discuss different scenarios to explain our findings, including dead zones, star-driven photoevaporation, and planet-disc interactions. We find that the most likely origin of the dust gap is from an embedded planet, and estimate – for a single planet scenario – that T Cha's gap is carved by a 1.2MJup planet.
Date Issued
2018-03-21
Date Acceptance
2017-11-17
Citation
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters, 2018, 475 (1), pp.L62-L66
ISSN
1745-3925
Publisher
Oxford University Press
Start Page
L62
End Page
L66
Journal / Book Title
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
Volume
475
Issue
1
Copyright Statement
© 2017 The Author(s). Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society. This is a pre-copy-editing, author-produced version of an article accepted for publication in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters, following peer review. The definitive publisher-authenticated version Nathanial P Hendler, Paola Pinilla, Ilaria Pascucci, Adriana Pohl, Gijs Mulders, Thomas Henning, Ruobing Dong, Cathie Clarke, James Owen, David Hollenbach; A likely planet-induced gap in the disc around T Cha, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters, Volume 475, Issue 1, 21 March 2018, Pages L62–L66, is available online at: https://doi.org/10.1093/mnrasl/slx184
Sponsor
The Royal Society
Grant Number
UF150412
Subjects
0201 Astronomical And Space Sciences
Publication Status
Published
Date Publish Online
2017-12-06