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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 19 April 2010
The planetary system of HD 69830 is uniquely constrained by observations of (i)an infrared excess indicative of a debris disk with warm dust and (ii) radialvelocity variations indicative of three planets. This presents a valuableopportunity to test planet formation models by integrating dynamical models ofplanetary formation and migration with those for the sculpting of adust-producing planetesimal disk. We perform n-bodysimulations and investigate the excitation of both planet and planetesimaleccentricities, the accretion of planetesimals onto the planets, and theclearing of a planetesimal disk by the planets as they grow in mass and migratethrough the disk. In simulations tuned to closely follow previous semi-analyticmodels for the growth and migration of the planets, we find that the innerplanet accretes significantly more planetesimals than previously estimated. Wefind that eccentricity excitation due to mutual planetary perturbations duringand after the migration do not naturally produce the observed eccentricities. Our simulations suggest that this discrepancy may be reduced or possibly reconciled if the planets are significantly more massive than expected (possible if the planetary system's angularmomentum were nearly parallel to our line of sight). Even if the planets aresignificantly more massive than previously assumed, we find that the migratingplanets are inefficient at clearing the outer planetesimal disk and that asignificant fraction of the planetesimal population beyond 1 AU remains bound onmoderately eccentric and inclined orbits. While much of the remainingplanetesimal belt would have eroded via a collisional cascade and radiationpressure, we explore whether some of the highly excited planetesimals may beable to persist over the age of the central star, producing the dust observed in the HD 69830 system.