The Separation and H-alpha Contrasts of Massive Accreting Planets in the Gaps of Transitional Disks: Predicted H-alpha Protoplanet Yields for Adaptive Optics Surveys

We present a massive accreting gap (MAG) planet model that ensures large gaps in transitional disks are kept dust free by the scattering action of three co-planar quasi-circular planets in a 1:2:4 Mean Motion Resonance (MMR). This model uses the constraint of the observed gap size, and the dust-free nature of the gap, to determine within ~10% the possible orbits for 3 massive planets in an MMR. Calculated orbits are consistent with the observed orbits and H-alpha emission (the brightest line to observe these planets) for LkCa 15 b and PDS 70 b and PDS 70 c within observational errors. Moreover, the model suggests that the scarcity of detected H-alpha planets is likely a selection effect of the current limitations of non-coronagraphic, low (<10%) Strehl, H-alpha imaging with Adaptive Optics (AO) systems used in past H-alpha surveys. We predict that as higher Strehl AO systems (with high-performance custom coronagraphs; like 6.5-m Magellan Telescope MagAO-X system) are utilized at H-alpha the number of detected gap planets will substantially increase by more than tenfold. For example, we show that >25 new H-alpha "gap planets" are potentially discoverable by a survey of the best 19 transitional disks with MagAO-X. Detections of these accreting protoplanets will significantly improve our understanding of planet formation, planet growth and accretion, solar system architectures, and planet disk interactions.
Comment: 36 pages, 8 Figures, Accepted by the Astronomical Journal