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L. Matrà

Publications and source records attributed to L. Matrà.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
arXiv2026

The ALMA survey to Resolve exoKuiper belt Substructures (ARKS) XI: Gas-dust interactions and radial offsets between micron and millimetre-sized grains

The dust observed in debris disks is the result of a collisional cascade initiated from $\sim$ km-sized parent bodies. Using near-infrared to sub-millimeter observations, we can probe particle sizes spanning 2-3 orders of magnitude, and with sufficient angular resolution we can follow the dynamics of these dust particles. Observations taken as part of the ALMA ARKS program allowed for a detailed comparison with near-infrared scattered light observations, at unprecedented resolution. The comparison between the two wavelength regimes reveals that for most gas-bearing debris disks, the distribution of small dust grains peaks outward of the distribution of large dust grains. In this paper we investigate whether gas-dust interactions can explain such radial offsets. We perform numerical simulations and compute surface brightness profiles at several wavelengths to assess which parameters drive these radial offsets. We find that while larger gas masses lead to more efficient outward radial drift, the resulting radial offset strongly depends on the optical depth of the disk, as the drift efficiency directly competes with the particles' collisional lifetime. We also find that increasing the relative number of $μ$m-sized dust grains usually yields a larger radial offset between scattered light and millimeter observations. Finally, we show that mid-infrared observations can complement near-infrared and sub-millimeter images, and we discuss the formation of secondary rings at near-infrared wavelengths. The angular resolution achieved by the ARKS program has opened a new avenue to study the dynamics of dust particles in debris disks, revealing unexpected differences between the appearance of the disks scattered light and thermal emission. We showed that gas-dust interactions can explain the observed radial offsets and provide pointers as to which parameters have the most significant impact.

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arXiv2026

The ALMA survey to Resolve exoKuiper belt Substructures (ARKS) V: Comparison between scattered light and thermal emission

Debris discs are analogues to our own Kuiper belt around main-sequence stars and are therefore referred to as exoKuiper belts. They have been resolved at high angular resolution at wavelengths spanning the optical to the submillimetre-millimetre regime. Short wavelengths probe the light scattered by such discs, which is dominated by micron-sized dust particles, while millimetre wavelengths probe the thermal emission of millimetre-sized particles. Determining differences in the dust distribution between millimetre- and micron-sized dust is fundamental to revealing the dynamical processes affecting the dust in debris discs. We aim to compare the scattered light from the discs of the ALMA survey to Resolve exoKuiper belt Substructures (ARKS) with the thermal emission probed by ALMA. We focus on the radial distribution of the dust. We used high-contrast scattered light observations obtained with VLT/SPHERE, GPI, and the HST to uniformly study the dust distribution in those systems and compare it to the dust distribution extracted from the ALMA observations carried out in the course of the ARKS project. We also set constraints on the presence of planets by using these high-contrast images combined with exoplanet evolutionary models. 15 of the 24 discs comprising the ARKS sample are detected in scattered light, with TYC9340-437-1 being imaged for the first time at near-infrared wavelengths. For 6 of those 15 discs, the dust surface density seen in scattered light peaks farther out compared to that observed with ALMA. These 6 discs except one are known to also host cold CO gas. Conversely, the systems without significant offsets are not known to host gas, except one. This observational study suggests that the presence of gas in debris discs may affect the small and large grains differently, pushing the small dust to greater distances where the gas is less abundant.

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arXiv2026

The ALMA survey to Resolve exoKuiper belt Substructures (ARKS) I: Motivation, sample, data reduction, and results overview

The outer regions of planetary systems host dusty debris discs analogous to the Kuiper belt (exoKuiper belts), which provide crucial constraints on planet formation and evolution processes. ALMA dust observations have revealed a great diversity, and that some belts contain CO gas, whose origin and implications are uncertain. Most of this progress, however, has been limited by low-resolution observations. We conducted the first ALMA large programme dedicated to debris discs: the ALMA survey to Resolve exoKuiper belt Substructures (ARKS). We selected the 24 most promising belts to constrain their detailed radial and vertical structure, and to characterise the gas content. We constrained the radial and vertical distribution of dust, as well as the presence of asymmetries. For a subset of six belts with CO gas, we constrained the gas distribution and kinematics. To interpret these observations, we used a wide range of dynamical models. The first ARKS results are presented as a series of ten papers. We discovered that up to 33% of our sample exhibits multiple dusty rings. For highly inclined belts, we found that non-Gaussian vertical distributions are common and are indicative of multiple dynamical populations. We also found that 10 of the 24 belts present asymmetries. We find that the CO gas is radially broader than the dust, but this could be an effect of optical depth. At least one system shows non-Keplerian kinematics due to strong pressure gradients, which may have triggered a vortex that trapped dust in an arc. Finally, we find evidence that the micron-sized grains may be affected by gas drag in gas rich systems. ARKS has revealed a great diversity of structures in exoKuiper belts that may arise when they are formed in protoplanetary discs or subsequently via interactions with planets and/or gas. We encourage the community to explore the reduced data and data products.

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arXiv2026

The ALMA survey to Resolve exoKuiper belt Substructures (ARKS) VIII: A dust arc and non-Keplerian gas kinematics in HD 121617

ExoKuiper belts around young A-type stars often host CO gas, whose origin is still unclear. The ALMA survey to Resolve exoKuiper belt Substructures (ARKS) includes 6 of these gas-bearing belts, to characterise their dust and gas distributions and investigate the gas origin. As part of ARKS, we observed the gas-rich system HD121617 and discovered an arc of enhanced dust density. In this paper, we analyse in detail the dust and gas distributions and the gas kinematics of this system. We extracted radial and azimuthal profiles of the dust (in the millimetre and near-infrared) and gas emission ($^{12}$CO and $^{13}$CO) from reconstructed images. To constrain the morphology of the arc, we fitted an asymmetric model to the dust emission. To characterise the gas kinematics, we fitted a Keplerian model to the velocity map and extracted the azimuthal velocity profile by deprojecting the data. We find that the dust arc is narrow (1-5 au wide at a radius of 75 au), azimuthally extended, and asymmetric; the emission is more azimuthally compact in the direction of the system's rotation, and represents 13% of the total dust mass (0.2$M_\oplus$). The arc is much less pronounced or absent for small grains and gas. Finally, we find strong non-Keplerian azimuthal velocities at the inner and outer wings of the ring, as was expected due to strong pressure gradients. The dust arc resembles the asymmetries found in protoplanetary discs, often interpreted as the result of dust trapping in vortices. If the gas disc mass is high enough ($\gtrsim20M_\oplus$, requiring a primordial gas origin), both the radial confinement of the ring and the azimuthal arc may result from dust grains responding to gas drag. Alternatively, it could result from planet-disc interactions via mean motion resonances. Further studies should test these hypotheses and may provide a dynamical gas mass estimate in this CO-rich exoKuiper belt.

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arXiv2026

The ALMA survey to Resolve exoKuiper belt Substructures (ARKS) VII: Optically thick gas with broad CO gaussian local line profiles in the HD 121617 disc

CO gas has been detected in $\sim$20 debris discs. We present ALMA observations of the CO-rich HD 121617 debris disc from the ARKS survey. Using high-resolution Band 7 observations of $^{12}CO \ J=3-2$, we analyse local CO line profiles to investigate optical depth, CO mass, and temperature. Spectra are aligned and stacked in concentric annuli to produce local line profiles. The resulting profiles are Gaussian-shaped and broadened by Keplerian shear. The line profiles are modelled using both a simplified toy model and a RADMC-3D model including projection effects and Keplerian shear. Fitting the RADMC-3D model to the $^{13}$CO data, we find that an optically thick model with a temperature of 38 K and a CO mass of $2 \times 10^{-3}$ M$_{\oplus}$ reproduces the observations. The model reproduces the enhanced emission at orbital azimuths of $\sim \pm45^{\circ}$ and $\pm135^{\circ}$, forming an X-shaped structure in the velocity-integrated intensity map, as well as the broader $^{12}$CO linewidth relative to $^{13}$CO. Scaling the model by the ISM abundance ratio ($\sim$77) also reproduces the $^{12}$CO data, though high optical depths and model assumptions limit mass constraints. We find that azimuthally averaged local line profiles appear Gaussian regardless of optical depth, cautioning against their use for distinguishing optically thin and thick emission. We constrain the mean molecular weight to $12.6_{-1.1}^{+1.3}$, dependent on model assumptions. Our $^{13}$CO results suggest that C$^{18}$O may also be optically thick in CO-rich debris discs and that the mean molecular weight is significantly higher than if H$_2$ were the dominant gas species, suggesting a non-primordial composition.

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arXiv2026

The ALMA survey to Resolve exoKuiper belt Substructures (ARKS): VI. Asymmetries and offsets

Asymmetries in debris discs provide unique clues to understand the evolution and architecture of planetary systems.** The aim of the ALMA survey to Resolve exoKuiper belt Substructures (ARKS) is to expand our understanding of radial and vertical dust structures, as well as gas distributions and kinematics, in debris discs.** Here, in ARKS~VI, we present a systematic analysis of the asymmetries and stellocentric offsets present in the ALMA continuum data for the ARKS survey. Our aims are to identify asymmetries in debris disc dust distributions, quantify debris disc asymmetry properties, and discuss the potential origins of debris disc asymmetries.** We utilised empirical methods to identify emission asymmetries** and the presence of offset emission between disc centres and the locations of the host stars, via an analysis of their calibration procedures and disc properties. We associated observational asymmetry types** and plausible physical classes** associated with each source. We show that there are ten systems, almost half of the ARKS sample, that host either a continuum emission asymmetry or offset emission. Three systems host offsets (HD15115, HD32297, and HD109573 (HR4796)), four host azimuthal asymmetries (HD9672 (49Ceti), HD92945, HD107146, and HD121617), two host an asymmetry in their major axis (HD10647 (q$^1$ Eri), and HD39060 ($β$ Pic)), and one hosts an asymmetry in their minor axis (HD61005). We attribute the offset asymmetries to non-zero eccentricities, and three of the azimuthal asymmetries to arcs. The presence of an asymmetry or offset in the ARKS sample appears to be correlated with the fractional luminosity of cold dust.** Conclusions: This study demonstrates that debris disc asymmetries in the ARKS sample are common, and plausibly so in the wider population of debris discs at (sub)-millimetre wavelengths.** ** = ABRIDGED FOR ARXIV: FULL ABSTRACT IN PAPER

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arXiv2026

The ALMA survey to Resolve exoKuiper belt Substructures (ARKS) IV: CO gas imaging and overview

CO gas is detected in a significant number of debris discs, but its origin and evolution remains unclear. Key constraints are its mass and spectro-spatial distribution, which are coupled through optical depth and have only been analysed at low to moderate resolution so far. The ALMA survey to Resolve exoKuiper belt Substructures (ARKS) is the first ALMA large program to target debris discs at high spectro-spatial resolution. We used $^{12}$CO and $^{13}$CO J=3-2 line data of 18 ARKS debris belts, 5 of which were already known to host gas, to analyse the spectro-spatial distribution of CO, constrain the gas masses, and to search for gas in the remaining systems. We developed a line-imaging pipeline and produced line cubes for each disc, with a spatial resolution down to $\sim$70 mas and spectral resolution of 26 m s$^{-1}$. Using spectro-spatial shifting and stacking, we produced high signal-to-noise maps, and radial and spectral profiles that reveal the distribution and kinematics of gas in 5 gas-bearing discs. For these discs, we constrained the inner radius of the $^{12}$CO, and found the radial brightness profile of CO peaked interior to the dust ring, but that CO was more radially extended than the dust. We present the first radially resolved $^{12}$CO/$^{13}$CO isotopologue flux ratios in gas-bearing debris discs, which are constant with radius for the majority of systems, indicating $^{12}$CO and $^{13}$CO are both optically thick or thin throughout the discs. We report CO line fluxes/upper limits for all systems and optical depth dependant masses for the 5 gas-bearing systems. Finally, we analysed the $^{12}$CO J=3-2 line luminosities for the ARKS debris discs and discs from the literature. We confirm that gas is mostly detected in young systems. However, the high scatter seen in young/high fractional luminosity systems indicates no trend within the systems with detected gas.

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arXiv2026

JWST/MIRI coronagraphic search for planets in systems with gapped exoKuiper belts and proper motion anomalies

Over the past decade, ALMA has uncovered a range of substructures within exoKuiper belts, pointing to a population of undetected planets. With JWST's sensitivity, we now have the opportunity to identify these planets thought to be responsible for the observed substructures in debris discs. We present Cycle 1 JWST/MIRI 11.4 μm coronagraphic observations of three exoKuiper belts that exhibit gaps in their radial structures: HD 92945, HD 107146, and HD 206893, to determine whether planets are responsible for carving these structures, as seen in our Solar System with the gas giants. We reduce the JWST/MIRI data using spaceKLIP, and introduce new routines to mitigate the Brighter-Fatter effect and persistence. We do not detect any planet candidates, and all detected objects in the field-of-view are consistent with background stars or galaxies. However, by combining JWST mass limits, archival observational constraints, and astrometric accelerations, we rule out a significant portion of planet parameter space, placing tight constraints on the planets possibly responsible for these gaps. To interpret these results, we explore multiple gap-carving scenarios in discs, either massless or with non-zero mass, including clearing by in-situ planet(s), as well as shaping by inner planets through mean-motion or secular apsidal resonances. Finally, we conclude that the planets causing the proper motion anomaly in these systems must reside within the inner 20 au.

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arXiv2025

Systematic determination of dust properties for a sample of 133 spatially resolved debris discs

Determination of the composition and size distribution of dust grains in debris discs is strongly dependent on constraining the underlying spatial distribution of that dust through multi-wavelength, spatially resolved imaging spanning near-infrared to millimetre wavelengths. To date, spatially resolved imaging exists for well over a hundred debris disc systems. Simple analytical radiative transfer models of debris dust emission can reveal trends in disc properties as a function of their host stars' luminosities. Here we present such an analysis for 133 debris discs, calculating the dust grain minimum sizes ($s_{\rm min}$), dust masses ($M_{\rm dust}$), and exponents of the size distribution ($q$) in conjunction with their architectures determined at far-infrared or millimetre wavelengths. The distribution of $q$ at far-infrared to millimetre wavelengths is characterised for the first time, finding a value of $3.49^{+0.38}_{-0.33}$. We further newly identify a trend between $q$ and $R_{\rm disc}$, which may be indicative of velocity dependent fragmentation, or grain growth at large radii. We find the disc masses inferred from this analysis are consistent with those of protoplanetary discs. Finally, we identify samples of debris discs suitable for further characterisation at millimetre and centimetre wavelengths, expanding the number of spatially resolved systems upon which future studies of these statistics can be based.

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arXiv2025

Evidence for a sub-jovian planet in the young TWA7 disk

Planets are thought to form from dust and gas in protoplanetary disks, and debris disks are the remnants of planet formation. Aged a few Myr up to a few Gyr, debris disks have lost their primordial gas, and their dust is produced by steady-state collisions between larger, rocky bodies. Tens of debris disks, with sizes of tens, sometimes hundreds of au, have been resolved with high spatial resolution, high contrast imagers at optical/near-IR or (sub)-millimeter interferometers. They commonly show cavities, ring-like structures, and gaps, which are often regarded as indirect signatures of the presence of planets that gravitationally interact with unseen planetesimals. However, no planet responsible for these features has been detected yet, probably because of the limited sensitivity (typically 2-10 MJ) of high contrast imaging instruments prior to JWST. We have used the unprecedented sensitivity of JWST/MIRI in the thermal IR to search for such planets in the disk of the ~ 6.4 Myr old star TWA 7. With its pole-on orientation, this three-ring debris disk is indeed ideally suited for such a detection. We unambiguously detected a source 1.5 arsec from the star, that is best interpreted as a cold, sub-Jupiter mass planet. Its estimated mass (~ 0.3 MJ) and position (~ 52 au, de-projected) can thoroughly account for the main disk structures.

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arXiv2025

REsolved ALMA and SMA Observations of Nearby Stars (REASONS): A population of 74 resolved planetesimal belts at millimetre wavelengths

Planetesimal belts are ubiquitous around nearby stars, and their spatial properties hold crucial information for planetesimal and planet formation models. We present resolved dust observations of 74 planetary systems as part of the REsolved ALMA and SMA Observations of Nearby Stars (REASONS) survey and archival reanalysis. We uniformly modelled interferometric visibilities for the entire sample to obtain the basic spatial properties of each belt, and combined these with constraints from multi-wavelength photometry. We report key findings from a first exploration of this legacy dataset: (1) Belt dust masses are depleted over time in a radially dependent way, with dust being depleted faster in smaller belts, as predicted by collisional evolution. (2) Most belts are broad discs rather than narrow rings, with much broader fractional widths than rings in protoplanetary discs. We link broad belts to either unresolved substructure or broad planetesimal discs produced if protoplanetary rings migrate. (3) The vertical aspect ratios (h = H/R) of 24 belts indicate orbital inclinations of 1-20 degrees, implying relative particle velocities of 0.1-4 km/s, and no clear evolution of heights with system age. This could be explained by early stirring within the belt by large bodies (with sizes of at least 140 km to the size of the Moon), by inheritance of inclinations from the protoplanetary disc stage, or by a diversity in evolutionary pathways and gravitational stirring mechanisms. We release the REASONS legacy multidimensional sample of millimetre-resolved belts to the community as a valuable tool for follow-up multi-wavelength observations and population modelling studies.

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arXiv2022

Vertical evolution of exocometary gas: I. How vertical diffusion shortens the CO lifetime

Bright debris discs can contain large amounts of CO gas. This gas was thought to be a protoplanetary remnant until it was recently shown that it could be released in collisions of volatile-rich solids. As CO is released, interstellar UV radiation photodissociates CO producing CI, which can shield CO allowing a large CO mass to accumulate. However, this picture was challenged because CI is inefficient at shielding if CO and CI are vertically mixed. Here, we study for the first time the vertical evolution of gas to determine how vertical mixing affects the efficiency of shielding by CI. We present a 1D model that accounts for gas release, photodissociation, ionisation, viscous evolution, and vertical mixing due to turbulent diffusion. We find that if the gas surface density is high and the vertical diffusion weak ($α_{\rm v}/α<[H/r]^2$) CO photodissociates high above the midplane, forming an optically thick CI layer that shields the CO underneath. Conversely, if diffusion is strong ($α_{\rm v}/α>[H/r]^2$) CI and CO become well mixed, shortening the CO lifetime. Moreover, diffusion could also limit the amount of dust settling. High-resolution ALMA observations could resolve the vertical distribution of CO and CI, and thus constrain vertical mixing and the efficiency of CI shielding. We also find that the CO and CI scale heights may not be good probes of the mean molecular weight, and thus composition, of the gas. Finally, we show that if mixing is strong the CO lifetime might not be long enough for CO to spread interior to the planetesimal belt where gas is produced.

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arXiv2021

High resolution ALMA and HST images of q$^1$ Eri: an asymmetric debris disc with an eccentric Jupiter

We present \textit{ALMA} 1.3 mm and 0.86 mm observations of the nearby (17.34 pc) F9V star q1 Eri (HD 10647, HR 506). This system, with age ${\sim}1.4$ Gyr, hosts a ${\sim}2$ au radial velocity planet and a debris disc with the highest fractional luminosity of the closest 300 FGK type stars. The \textit{ALMA} images, with resolution ${\sim}0.5''$, reveal a broad (34{-}134 au) belt of millimeter emission inclined by $76.7{\pm}1.0$ degrees with maximum brightness at $81.6{\pm}0.5$ au. The images reveal an asymmetry, with higher flux near the southwest ansa, which is also closer to the star. Scattered light observed with the Hubble Space Telescope is also asymmetric, being more radially extended to the northeast. We fit the millimeter emission with parametric models and place constraints on the disc morphology, radius, width, dust mass, and scale height. We find the southwest ansa asymmetry is best fitted by an extended clump on the inner edge of the disc, consistent with perturbations from a planet with mass $8 M_{\oplus} {-} 11 M_{\rm Jup}$ at ${\sim}60$ au that may have migrated outwards, similar to Neptune in our Solar System. If the measured vertical aspect ratio of $h{=}0.04{\pm}0.01$ is due to dynamical interactions in the disc, then this requires perturbers with sizes ${>}1200$ km. We find tentative evidence for an 0.86 mm excess within 10 au, $70{\pm}22\, μ$Jy, that may be due to an inner planetesimal belt. We find no evidence for CO gas, but set an upper bound on the CO gas mass of $4{\times}10^{-6}$ M$_{\oplus}$ ($3\,σ$), consistent with cometary abundances in the Solar System.

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arXiv2020

Rapid CO gas dispersal from NO Lup's class III circumstellar disc

We observed the K7 class III star NO Lup in an ALMA survey of the 1-3 Myr Lupus association and detected circumstellar dust and CO gas. Here we show that the J = 3-2 CO emission is both spectrally and spatially resolved, with a broad velocity width ${\sim}19$kms$^{-1}$ for its resolved size ${\sim}1''$ (${\sim}130$ au). We model the gas emission as a Keplerian disc, finding consistency, but only with a central mass of ${\sim}11M_{\odot}$, which is implausible given its spectral type and X-Shooter spectrum. A good fit to the data can also be found by modelling the CO emission as outflowing gas with a radial velocity ${\sim}22$kms$^{-1}$. We interpret NO Lup's CO emission as the first imaged class III circumstellar disc with outflowing gas. We conclude that the CO is continually replenished, but cannot say if this is from the break-up of icy planetesimals or from the last remnants of the protoplanetary disc. We suggest further work to explore the origin of this CO, and its higher than expected velocity in comparison to photoevaporative models.

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arXiv2020

Insights into the planetary dynamics of HD 206893 with ALMA

Radial substructure in the form of rings and gaps has been shown to be ubiquitous among protoplanetary discs. This could be the case in exoKuiper belts as well, and evidence for this is emerging. In this paper we present ALMA observations of the debris/planetesimal disc surrounding HD 206893, a system that also hosts two massive companions at 2 and 11 au. Our observations reveal a disc extending from 30 to 180 au, split by a 27 au wide gap centred at 74 au, and no dust surrounding the reddened brown dwarf (BD) at 11 au. The gap width suggests the presence of a 0.9 M$_\mathrm{Jup}$ planet at 74 au, which would be the third companion in this system. Using previous astrometry of the BD, combined with our derived disc orientation as a prior, we were able to better constrain its orbit finding it is likely eccentric ($0.14^{+0.05}_{-0.04}$). For the innermost companion, we used RV, proper motion anomaly and stability considerations to show its mass and semi-major axis are likely in the range 4-100 M$_\mathrm{Jup}$ and 1.4-4.5 au. These three companions will interact on secular timescales and perturb the orbits of planetesimals, stirring the disc and potentially truncating it to its current extent via secular resonances. Finally, the presence of a gap in this system adds to the growing evidence that gaps could be common in wide exoKuiper belts. Out of 6 wide debris discs observed with ALMA with enough resolution, 4-5 show radial substructure in the form of gaps.

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arXiv2020

ALMA Survey of Lupus Class III Stars: Early Planetesimal Belt Formation and Rapid Disk Dispersal

Class III stars are those in star forming regions without large non-photospheric infrared emission, suggesting recent dispersal of their protoplanetary disks. We observed 30 class III stars in the 1-3 Myr Lupus region with ALMA at ${\sim}856μ$m, resulting in 4 detections that we attribute to circumstellar dust. Inferred dust masses are $0.036{-}0.093M_\oplus$, ${\sim}1$ order of magnitude lower than any previous measurements; one disk is resolved with radius ${\sim}80$ au. Two class II sources in the field of view were also detected, and 11 other sources, consistent with sub-mm galaxy number counts. Stacking non-detections yields a marginal detection with mean dust mass ${\sim}0.0048M_\oplus$. We searched for gas emission from the CO J=3-2 line, and present its detection to NO Lup inferring a gas mass ($4.9 {\pm} 1.1$) ${\times}10^{-5} M_\oplus$ and gas-to-dust ratio $1.0{\pm}0.4$. Combining our survey with class II sources shows a gap in the disk mass distribution from $0.09{-}2M_\oplus$ for ${>}0.7M_\odot$ Lupus stars, evidence of rapid dispersal of mm-sized dust from protoplanetary disks. The class III disk mass distribution is consistent with a population model of planetesimal belts that go on to replenish the debris disks seen around main sequence stars. This suggests that planetesimal belt formation does not require long-lived protoplanetary disks, i.e., planetesimals form within ${\sim}$2 Myr. While all 4 class III disks are consistent with collisional replenishment, for two the gas and/or mid-IR emission could indicate primordial circumstellar material in the final stages of protoplanetary disk dispersal. Two class III stars without sub-mm detections exhibit hot emission that could arise from ongoing planet formation processes inside ${\sim}1$ au.

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arXiv2020

Population synthesis of exocometary gas around A stars

The presence of CO gas around 10-50 Myr old A stars with debris discs has sparked debate on whether the gas is primordial or secondary. Since secondary gas released from planetesimals is poor in H$_2$, it was thought that CO would quickly photodissociate never reaching the high levels observed around the majority of A stars with bright debris discs. Kral et al. 2019 showed that neutral carbon produced by CO photodissociation can effectively shield CO and potentially explain the high CO masses around 9 A stars with bright debris discs. Here we present a new model that simulates the gas viscous evolution, accounting for carbon shielding and how the gas release rate decreases with time as the planetesimal disc loses mass. We find that the present gas mass in a system is highly dependant on its evolutionary path. Since gas is lost on long timescales, it can retain a memory of the initial disc mass. Moreover, we find that gas levels can be out of equilibrium and quickly evolving from a shielded onto an unshielded state. With this model, we build the first population synthesis of gas around A stars, which we use to constrain the disc viscosity. We find a good match with a high viscosity ($α\sim0.1$), indicating that gas is lost on timescales $\sim1-10$ Myr. Moreover, our model also shows that high CO masses are not expected around FGK stars since their planetesimal discs are born with lower masses, explaining why shielded discs are only found around A stars. Finally, we hypothesise that the observed carbon cavities could be due to radiation pressure or accreting planets.

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arXiv2020

Searching for a cometary belt around Trappist-1 with ALMA

Low mass stars might offer today the best opportunities to detect and characterise planetary systems, especially those harbouring close-in low mass temperate planets. Among those stars, TRAPPIST-1 is exceptional since it has seven Earth-sized planets, of which three could sustain liquid water on their surfaces. Here we present new and deep ALMA observations of TRAPPIST-1 to look for an exo-Kuiper belt which can provide clues about the formation and architecture of this system. Our observations at 0.88 mm did not detect dust emission, but can place an upper limit of 23$μ$Jy if the belt is smaller than 4 au, and 0.15 mJy if resolved and 100 au in radius. These limits correspond to low dust masses of $\sim10^{-5}-10^{-2}$ $M_\oplus$, which are expected after 8 Gyr of collisional evolution unless the system was born with a $>20$ $M_\oplus$ belt of 100 km-sized planetesimals beyond 40 au or suffered a dynamical instability. This $20$ $M_\oplus$ mass upper limit is comparable to the combined mass in TRAPPIST-1 planets, thus it is possible that most of the available solid mass in this system was used to form the known planets. A similar analysis of the ALMA data on Proxima Cen leads us to conclude that a belt born with a mass $\gtrsim1$ $M_\oplus$ in 100 km-sized planetesimals could explain its putative outer belt at 30 au. We recommend that future characterisations of debris discs around low mass stars should focus on nearby and young systems if possible.

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