First-Light Debris Disk Science with the Gemini Planet Imager

University Of California-Los Angeles, Los Angeles CA

Investigators

Abstract

This work will provide maps of nearby planetary systems in unprecedented detail using the new Gemini Planet Imager (GPI) with the Gemini Observatory. Planetary systems around other stars are associated with tenuous structures composed of dust known as debris disks, the counterpart of our solar system's asteroid and Kuiper belts. The observations will be used to test models of planet formation and evolution, and the data reduction pipeline will be made available to the astronomical community. The PI and his team will train and mentor graduate and undergraduate students in research, and develop an exoplanetary system imaging exhibit at UCLA's Exploring Your Universe public outreach event. The GPI instrument is a new coronagraphic integral field unit commissioned at the Gemini Observatory. It is capable of detecting and spectroscopically characterizing young Jovian planets reaching 10 million times fainter than their parent star at separations as close as 0.2 arcseconds. This project scientifically exploits new, high-contrast, polarimetric images of debris disks to be obtained in the early science operations of GPI. Debris disks imaged with unprecedented contrast and inner working angles will reveal distinct signs of interaction with planets, such as eccentricity of the dust belt, surface density asymmetries, and gaps. Coupling analytical and numerical models of the dynamical evolution of dust grains with radiative transfer calculations will enable detailed scattered-light modeling of each disk with the goal of producing a physically grounded model that gives strong constraints on the mass and orbital parameters of the related planet(s). The results of this project will be used to produce independent estimates of the planet properties from those derived from the dedicated, multi-year, planet-searching campaign, and provide a unique viewpoint on the dynamical history of each system.