Planet-Disc Interactions in Debris Discs: The Case of Beta Pictoris – James Miley

Debris discs are the final stage of circumstellar disc evolution, after which only planetary systems remain. Planets present in these systems mould and sculpt the remnant gas and dust, the density distributions that result contains clues for observers as to the properties of the planets that exist there.
In my talk I will present a multi-wavelength analysis of the archetypal debris disc, Beta Pictoris, a nearby system that hosts two exoplanets and has been used as a testing ground for both debris disc theory and for our observational capabilities for decades. The capabilities of modern facilities such as ALMA and the VLT have accelerated the field of debris disc science in recent years, a wealth of observations now exist making Beta Pictoris one of the most well-studied planet forming systems.
I will show new ALMA Band 3 observations that trace larger ’pebbles’ in the disc and detect the CO(1-0) transition including the famous gas clump. Along with archival ALMA data these results are analysed in the context of previous infrared and scattered light observations. With these results I discuss the influence that giant planets can exert on debris disc density distributions and the consequences these interactions can have on the last stages of planet formation and on the atmospheres of the planets themselves.