The Eccentric Cavity, Triple Rings, Two-Armed Spirals, and Double Clumps of the MWC 758 Disk

TL;DR

This study uses high-resolution ALMA observations to reveal detailed structures in the MWC 758 protoplanetary disk, including eccentric cavities, multiple rings, and asymmetries, suggesting the influence of unseen planetary companions.

Contribution

First detailed ALMA imaging of MWC 758's disk revealing complex structures and potential signs of planet-disk interactions.

Findings

Eccentric cavity with eccentricity 0.1 centered on the star.

Resolution of the outer disk into three narrow rings with gaps.

Detection of one spiral arm consistent with a planetary companion at ~100 AU.

Abstract

Spatially resolved structures in protoplanetary disks hint at unseen planets. Previous imaging observations of the transitional disk around MWC 758 revealed an inner cavity, a ring-like outer disk, emission clumps, and spiral arms, all possibly generated by companions. We present ALMA dust continuum observations of MWC 758 at 0.87 millimeter (mm) wavelength with 43$\times$39 mas angular resolution (6.9$\times$6.2 AU) and 20 $\mu$Jy beam$^{-1}$ rms. The central sub-mm emission cavity is revealed to be eccentric; once deprojected, its outer edge can be well-fitted by an ellipse with an eccentricity of 0.1 and one focus on the star. The broad ring-like outer disk is resolved into three narrow rings with two gaps in between. The outer two rings tentatively show the same eccentricity and orientation as the innermost ring bounding the inner cavity. The two previously known dust emission clumps are resolved in both the radial and azimuthal directions, with radial widths equal to $\sim$4$\times$ the local scale height. Only one of the two spiral arms previously imaged in near-infrared (NIR) scattered light is revealed in ALMA dust emission, at a slightly larger stellocentric distance owing to projection effects. We also submit evidence of disk truncation at $\sim$100 AU based on comparing NIR imaging observations with models. The spirals, the north clump, and the truncated disk edge are all broadly consistent with the presence of one companion exterior to the spirals at roughly 100 AU.