ALMA observations of the debris disk around the young Solar Analog HD 107146

TL;DR

ALMA observations of the HD 107146 debris disk reveal a gap and complex surface density structure, suggesting possible planetary influence or collisional processes, advancing understanding of planetesimal belt evolution around young Sun-like stars.

Contribution

This study provides the first detailed ALMA imaging and modeling of the debris disk around HD 107146, identifying a gap and complex density profiles not previously characterized.

Findings

Detection of a gap at ~80 AU in the debris disk

Better fit with models including a gap or double power-law surface density

Potential indication of a planet of a few Earth masses at ~80 AU

Abstract

We present ALMA continuum observations at a wavelength of 1.25 mm of the debris disk surrounding the $\sim$ 100 Myr old solar analog HD 107146. The continuum emission extends from about 30 to 150 AU from the central star with a decrease in the surface brightness at intermediate radii. We analyze the ALMA interferometric visibilities using debris disk models with radial profiles for the dust surface density parametrized as i) a single power-law, ii) a single power-law with a gap, and iii) a double power-law. We find that models with a gap of radial width $\sim 8$ AU at a distance of $\sim 80$ AU from the central star, as well as double power-law models with a dip in the dust surface density at $\sim 70$ AU provide significantly better fits to the ALMA data than single power-law models. We discuss possible scenarios for the origin of the HD 107146 debris disk using models of planetesimal belts in which the formation of Pluto-sized objects trigger disruptive collisions of large bodies, as well as models which consider the interaction of a planetary system with a planetesimal belt and spatial variation of the dust opacity across the disk. If future observations with higher angular resolution and sensitivity confirm the fully-depleted gap structure discussed here, a planet with a mass of approximately a few Earth masses in a nearly circular orbit at $\sim 80$ AU from the central star would be a possible explanation for the presence of the gap.