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ALMA Survey Maps 24 ExoKuiper Belts, Exposing Diverse Structures in Planetary 'Teenage' Phase

The public ARKS dataset highlights asymmetries shaped by gas effects, inviting targeted tests of planet versus gas sculpting.

Overview

  • ARKS delivers the sharpest millimetre images yet of 24 debris disks and releases the full dataset, filling a key observational gap between planet-forming and mature systems.
  • Roughly one-third of the sample hosts multiple rings, while ten systems show significant asymmetries or offsets that signal active dynamical processes.
  • Six disks contain detectable CO, with constrained gas distributions and kinematics, including non‑Keplerian motion in at least one case consistent with pressure‑driven effects.
  • Detailed studies of HD 121617 reveal a narrow dust arc and strong azimuthal velocity departures; models allow gas‑driven dust trapping with substantial gas masses, though a planet‑driven origin remains possible.
  • Radial and vertical analyses find narrow rings, steep inner edges at smaller radii suggestive of planet sculpting, broad belts consistent with collisional evolution, and a preference for non‑Gaussian vertical profiles.