A. -M. Lagrange, A. Boccaletti, J. Milli, G. Chauvin, M. Bonnefoy, D. Mouillet, J. C. Augereau, J. H. Girard, S. Lacour, D. Apai
Context. We detected in 2009 a giant, close-by planet orbiting {\beta} Pic, a
young star surrounded with a disk, extensively studied for more than 20 years.
We showed that if located on an inclined orbit, the planet could explain
several peculiarities of {\beta} Pictoris system. However, the available data
did not permit to measure the inclination of {\beta} Pic b with respect to the
disk, and in particular to establish in which component of the disk - the main,
extended disk or the inner inclined component/disk-, the planet was located.
Comparison between the observed planet position and the disk orientation
measured on previous imaging data was not an option because of potential biases
in the measurements. Aims. Our aim is to measure precisely the planet location
with respect to the dust disk using a single high resolution image, and
correcting for systematics or errors that degrades the precision of the disk
and planet relative position measurements. Methods. We gathered new NaCo data
at Ks band, with a set-up optimized to derive simultaneously the orientation(s)
of the disk(s) and that of the planet. Results. We show that the projected
position of {\beta} Pic b is above the midplane of the main disk. With the
current data and knowledge on the system, this implies that {\beta} Pic b
cannot be located in the main disk. The data rather suggest the planet being
located in the inclined component.
View original:
http://arxiv.org/abs/1202.2578
No comments:
Post a Comment