A giant planet shaping the disk around the very low-mass star CIDA 1

TL;DR

High-resolution ALMA observations of the disk around the very low-mass star CIDA 1 suggest the presence of a massive planet, challenging existing models of planet formation around such stars.

Contribution

This study models the disk of CIDA 1 with hydrodynamical and radiative transfer simulations to infer the presence and properties of a giant planet, providing new insights into planet formation around VLM stars.

Findings

A planet of ~1.4 M_Jup at 9-10 au explains the dust ring morphology.

Synthetic observations match ALMA data, supporting the planet hypothesis.

Predicted maximum planet mass is 4-8 M_Jup based on gap width relations.

Abstract

(Abridged) Exoplanetary research has provided us with exciting discoveries of planets around very low-mass (VLM) stars (e.g., TRAPPIST-1 and Proxima Centauri). However, current theoretical models strive to explain planet formation in these conditions and do not predict the development of giant planets. Recent high-resolution observations from ALMA of the disk around CIDA 1, a VLM star in Taurus, show substructures hinting at the presence of a massive planet. We aim to reproduce the dust ring of CIDA 1, observed in the dust continuum emission in ALMA Band 7 (0.9 mm) and Band 4 (2.1 mm), along with its $^{12}$CO (J=3-2) and $^{13}$CO (J=3-2) channel maps, assuming the structures are shaped by the interaction of the disk with a massive planet. We seek to retrieve the mass and position of the putative planet. We model the protoplanetary disk with a set of hydrodynamical simulations, varying the mass and locations of the embedded planet. We compute the dust and gas emission using radiative transfer simulations, and, finally, we obtain the synthetic observations treating the images as the actual ALMA observations. Our models indicate that a planet with a minimum mass of $\sim1.4\,\text{M}_\text{Jup}$ orbiting at a distance of $\sim 9-10$ au can explain the morphology and location of the observed dust ring at Band 7 and Band 4. We can reproduce the low spectral index ($\sim 2$) observed where the dust ring is detected. Our synthetic images reproduce the morphology of the $^{12}$CO and $^{13}$CO observed channel maps where the cloud absorption allowed a detection. Applying an empirical relation between planet mass and gap width in the dust, we predict a maximum planet mass of $\sim4 - 8\,\text{M}_\text{Jup}$. Our results suggest the presence of a massive planet orbiting CIDA 1, thus challenging our understanding of planet formation around VLM stars.