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Dipper discs not inclined towards edge-on orbits

Accepted version
Peer-reviewed

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Authors

Ansdell, M 
Gaidos, E 
Williams, JP 
Wyatt, MC 

Abstract

The so-called dipper stars host circumstellar discs and have optical and infrared light curves that exhibit quasi-periodic or aperiodic dimming events consistent with extinction by transiting dusty structures orbiting in the inner disc. Most of the proposed mechanisms explaining the dips - i.e. occulting disc warps, vortices, and forming planetesimals - assume nearly edge-on viewing geometries. However, our analysis of the three known dippers with publicly available resolved sub-mm data reveals discs with a range of inclinations, most notably the face-on transition disc J1604-2130 (EPIC 204638512). This suggests that nearly edge-on viewing geometries are not a defining characteristic of the dippers and that additional models should be explored. If confirmed by further observations of more dippers, this would point to inner disc processes that regularly produce dusty structures far above the outer disc mid-plane in regions relevant to planet formation.

Description

Keywords

planet-disc interactions, protoplanetary discs, stars: variables: T Tauri, Herbig Ae/Be

Journal Title

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

1745-3925
1745-3933

Volume Title

462

Publisher

Oxford University Press
Sponsorship
Royal Society (UF140298)
Science and Technology Facilities Council (ST/N000927/1)
European Research Council (279973)
Support comes from NSF grant AST-1208911 (MA), NASA grants NNX11AC33G (EG) and NNX15AC92G (JPW), ERC grant 279973 (MCW), Hubble Fellowship 51364 (AWM), and a Royal Society University Research Fellowship (GK).