Assigned ID: 130 ----- Attempting Submission 1 (Thu Mar 06 13:48:45 GMT 2008) ----- Circumstellar debris disks are of considerable astronomical interest, particularly since they provide insight into the formation and evolution of planet-forming systems. These dusty disks are the byproducts of collisions among unseen planetesimals, which are themselves the seeds of planets. So it is of no surprise that some debris disks (beta Pictoris, Fomalhaut, HR 4796, and others) appear to be perturbed by planets orbiting within. The signatures of planetary perturbations include: central gaps, warps and radial offsets, and other asymmetries in the disk. The following proposes to develop a model of a circumstellar debris disk that is perturbed by an unseen planetary system. This research effort will then apply this model to Hubble Space Telescope observations of several perturbed debris disks, which will then allow us to measure or else constrain the masses and orbits of any unseen planets that might be lurking within.

STAR FORMATION 0 93448 $47k/yr is requested for each of two yrs false 0.0 0.0 false false true false false SUPPORTED