Planetary Perturbers in Debris Disks

Abstract

Neptune dominates the dynamics of the Kuiper Belt. By examining images of debris disks around other stars, we may be able to infer what kinds of planets shape the outer edges of other planetary systems. The last few years have seen a burst of progress in the modeling of azimuthal structures in debris disks created by planetary perturbers; new models incorporate planets on substantially eccentric orbits. I review this recent progress in debris disk dynamics and discuss the Kuiper Belt as a key example.