Title:
Dynamics of debris disks and young planetary systems
Dynamics of debris disks and young planetary systems
Author(s)
Moore, Nathaniel W. H.
Advisor(s)
Li, Gongjie
Wise, John H.
Wise, John H.
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Abstract
Debris disks are gas-poor structures of dust which orbit around their host star. These disks are the leftover remnants of planetary formation and can hold important clues in understanding the evolution and history of planetary systems. Distinct features in a disk’s morphology can elucidate the architecture of an underlying planetary system or indicate the signatures of past close encounters with flyby stars. In this thesis I discuss both our Solar System debris disk, as well as that of an exoplanetary system: HD106906. Specifically, I use signs in the inclination distribution of the Kuiper Belt in our own Solar System to constrain the environment of our Solar System’s stellar birth cluster. I also use observations of unique features in the debris disk surrounding HD106906 to constrain its evolutionary history and propose a unique formation theory for this unusual system. My results provide a link between the present configuration of a system’s debris disk and the dynamical history of the system itself.
Beyond debris disks, I then explore the role of planetary orbital dynamics on habitability. I considered an external perturber on young planetary systems through the dynamical mechanism known as evection resonance and discuss the implications that this mechanism may have in increasing the habitability of planets in such systems.
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Date Issued
2023-07-25
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Text
Resource Subtype
Dissertation