Has the dust clump in the debris disk of Beta Pictoris moved?

TL;DR

This study tracks the motion of a dust clump in Beta Pictoris's debris disk over 12 years, finding it likely stationary and suggesting alternative origins beyond planetary resonance.

Contribution

First long-term observational constraint on dust clump motion in Beta Pictoris, challenging previous resonance-based explanations and proposing new formation scenarios.

Findings

Dust clump displacement <11 au at 3σ level

Clump motion incompatible with Keplerian orbit

Clump likely stationary, indicating alternative origins

Abstract

The edge-on debris disk of the nearby young star Beta Pictoris shows an unusual brightness asymmetry in the form of a clump. The clump has been detected in both the mid-IR and CO and its origin has so far remained uncertain. Here we present new mid-IR observations of Beta Pic to track any motion of the dust clump. Together with previous observations, the data span a period of 12 years. We measured any projected displacement of the dust clump over the 12-yr period to be $0.2^{+1.3}_{-1.4}$ au away from the star based on the median and 1$\sigma$ uncertainty, and constrain this displacement to be <11 au at the 3$\sigma$ level. This implies that the observed motion is incompatible with Keplerian motion at the 2.8$\sigma$ level. It has been posited that a planet migrating outwards may trap planetesimals into a 2:1 resonance, resulting in the observed clump at pericentre of their orbits that trails the planet. The observed motion is also incompatible with such resonant motion at the 2.6$\sigma$ level. While Keplerian motion and resonant motion is still possible, the data suggest that the dust clump is more likely stationary. Such a stationary dust clump could originate from the collision or tidal disruption of a planet-sized body, or from secular perturbations due to a planet that create regions with enhanced densities in the disk.