Abstract

High contrast imaging observations with HST show that the nearby star Fomalhaut is surrounded by a dusty debris belt and a candidate planet Fomalhaut b. Among the directly imaged exoplanets, Fomalhaut b has unexpected characteristics, such as a relatively blue spectrum and a highly eccentric orbit, leading to hypotheses that it is a gravitationally scattered, low-mass planet hosting a giant planetary dust ring or cloud seen in reflected light. Here we present new HST/STIS observations made in 2013 that authenticate the existence of Fomalhaut b at a fifth epoch. We discuss progress on several fronts, including the possible variability and spatial extent of Fomalhaut b, the existence of an azimuthal belt gap, and the probability that Fomalhaut b will physically intersect the belt over the next two decades. Also in 2013-2014, the Gemini Planet Imager (GPI) was successfully commissioned. I will review our new findings with GPI concerning the orbit of beta Pic b and its relationship to the warped debris disk, and present our analysis of belt structure and dust grain properties for HR 4796A.

Presentation

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