Planets in orbit around β Pictoris formed the orbital architecture of planetesimal belts?

Abstract

We report near-infrared imaging observations of the β Pic dust disk, from which we infer the orbital architecture of planetesimal belts that remain near mean motion resonances (MMRs) with a planet at 62 AU. Our results reveal that one of the previously identified planetesimal belts lies in the 2/3 MMR with the planet, similar to the resonant relation between Plutinos and Neptune. We suggest that all the previously reported planetesimal belts are located near the 2/3 MMRs of four planets whose spatial arrangements make a similar figure of Jupiter, Satum, Uranus, and Neptune. This implies that the Solar System is a prototype of planetary systems around main-sequence stars in terms of planets' configuration, as expected from planet formation theories. Copyright © The Society of Geomagnetism and Earth, Planetary and Space Sciences (SGEPSS).