Our knowledge of planetary systems outside of ours is confined almostentirely to cases where the planets are close to the star. A criticalstage in the development of the Solar System was the stabilization ofthe orbits of Jupiter and Saturn far from the Sun. What are thecharacteristics of other planetary systems at large radii? Planetarydebris disks provide our best tool to answer this question. However,our interpretation of these systems is currently crippled by the lack,in most cases, of more information beyond a few photometric points ona spectral energy distribution. Such data can be fitted by a broadvariety of quite different disk models. Resolved Herschel images ofdisks can provide much better constraints on models and can lead tosufficient understanding of the general behavior to help interpreteven those systems where resolved images are not possible.We have identified 17 bright disks that show marginally resolvedstructures in Spitzer data, suggesting a radial size of coldplanetesimal belt 3 to 10 times larger than our own Kuiper Belt. Sincethe disk mass is proportional to the disk diameter and covering factorof the dust, these systems are likely to be associated with the mostmassive planetary systems, making them the possible sites where therichest, most massive and extended families of planets will form. Wepropose to image these disks that can be resolved well at PACS 70micron but not in any existing Herschel programs. We will use theresolved images as well as the photometric data obtained with SPIRE toprobe: (1) the properties of cold planetesimal belts as signposts ofice giants at large orbits, and (2) the diversity of outermostplanetesimal zones around other stars and the underlying causes.
Publication
A statistically significant lack of debris discs in medium separation binary systems | Yelverton Ben et al. | Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society | null | null | 2019MNRAS.488.3588Y |
Constraints on HD 113337 fundamental parameters and planetary system. Combining long-base visible interferometry, disc imaging, and high-contrast imaging | Borgniet S. et al. | Astronomy and Astrophysics | null | null | 2019A&A...627A..44B |
Mutual inclinations between giant planets and their debris discs in HD 113337 and HD 38529 | Xuan Jerry W. et al. | Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society | null | null | 2020MNRAS.499.5059X |
No significant correlation between radial velocity planet presence and debris disc properties | Yelverton Ben et al. | Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society | null | null | 2020MNRAS.495.1943Y |
A search for trends in spatially resolved debris discs at far-infrared wavelengths | Marshall J. P. et al. | Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society | null | null | 2021MNRAS.501.6168M |
Instrument
PACS_PacsPhoto_largeScan, SPIRE_SpirePhoto_small
Temporal Coverage
2012-03-23T09:06:49Z/2013-04-23T16:12:57Z
Version
SPG v14.2.0
Mission Description
Herschel was launched on 14 May 2009! It is the fourth cornerstone mission in the ESA science programme. With a 3.5 m Cassegrain telescope it is the largest space telescope ever launched. It is performing photometry and spectroscopy in approximately the 55-671 µm range, bridging the gap between earlier infrared space missions and groundbased facilities.
European Space Agency, su et al., 2013, 'Characterization of Outer Exoplanetary Systems With Herschel Imaging', SPG v14.2.0, European Space Agency, https://doi.org/10.5270/esa-oiol1gn
