Numerical Modelling of Dusty Debris Disks

Abstract

Infrared and submillimetre observations of nearby Vega-like stars have revealed a number of clumpy, asymmetric dust debris disks. Previous studies using semi-analytical and numerical methods have suggested planetary companions of various mass as the likely cause of most examples of disk asymmetry. In this paper, we modify an N-body symplectic gravitational integrator to include radiation terms and conduct medium-resolution parameter searches to identify likely planetary candidates in observed Vega-like systems. We also present high resolution models of Vega and epsilon Eridani, comparing our results to those of previous authors, and a new model for Fomalhaut.