ALMA hints at the presence of two companions in the disk around HD 100546

TL;DR

ALMA observations of HD 100546 reveal a complex disk structure with evidence of a close-in companion and a protoplanet, showing how these bodies influence dust and gas distribution in the disk.

Contribution

This study provides high-resolution ALMA data showing a double-ring structure and dynamical effects of companions and protoplanets in the HD 100546 disk.

Findings

Disk has a compact inner ring at ~26 AU

Outer ring at ~190 AU suggests dynamical clearing

Presence of a close-in companion and protoplanet inferred

Abstract

HD 100546 is a well-studied Herbig Be star-disk system that likely hosts a close-in companion with compelling observational evidence for an embedded protoplanet at 68 AU. We present ALMA observations of the HD 100546 disk which resolve the gas and dust structure at (sub)mm wavelengths. The CO emission (at 345.795 GHz) originates from an extensive molecular disk (390+/-20 AU in radius) whereas the continuum emission is more compact (230+/-20 AU in radius) suggesting radial drift of the mm-sized grains. The CO emission is similar in extent to scattered light images indicating well-mixed gas and um-sized grains in the disk atmosphere. Assuming azimuthal symmetry, a single-component power-law model cannot reproduce the continuum visibilities. The visibilities and images are better reproduced by a double-component model: a compact ring with a width of 21 AU centered at 26 AU and an outer ring with a width of 75+/-3 AU centered at 190+/-3 AU. The influence of a companion and protoplanet on the dust evolution is investigated. The companion at 10 AU facilitates the accumulation of mm-sized grains within a compact ring, ~ 20 - 30 AU, by ~ 10 Myr. The injection of a protoplanet at 1 Myr hastens the ring formation (~ 1.2 Myr) and also triggers the development of an outer ring (~ 100 - 200 AU). These observations provide additional evidence for the presence of a close-in companion and hint at dynamical clearing by a protoplanet in the outer disk.