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

TL;DR

This study presents high-resolution imaging of beta Pictoris b, revealing its orbit is aligned with the outer disk but likely misaligned with the inner warped disk, suggesting complex disk-planet interactions.

Contribution

The paper provides new high-resolution detections and orbital analysis of beta Pictoris b, highlighting a potential misalignment with the inner disk structure.

Findings

Planet's orbit is nearly edge-on at 89 degrees.

Orbit is aligned with the outer disk's major axis.

Possible misalignment with the inner warped disk.

Abstract

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.