Prof. Jihad Touma

Debris discs are dynamically sculpted by gravitational interactions with massive perturbers (e.g. planets, stellar companions, inner binaries). In the solar system, icy debris in the trans-Neptunian realm display remarkable kinematics which fueled the so-called Planet Nine hypothesis. In this talk, and following a brief overview of debris disk lore, we shall recount what we learnt by engaging with this radical hypothesis, revisiting as we generalize classic work by Laplace on the orbital architecture of Jupiter’s satellites. We shall highlight key novel results, and draw their implication for the shepherding of solar system Trans-Neptunian-Objects on one hand, and the structure of extrasolar debris disks with inner and outer perturbers, on the other.