The structure of exoKuiper belts
Minor bodies similar to asteroids and comets are a ubiquitous component of planetary systems, typically found in belts analogous to the Asteroid and Kuiper belt in the Solar System. Although we cannot detect these bodies individually, mutual collisions between km-sized planetesimals produce high dust levels that are readily detectable in cold belts around 30% of nearby stars. These belts provide unique and complementary constraints on the formation, architecture, and dynamics of planetary systems. This poster summarises how through ALMA observations we have been able to constrain the radial and vertical structure of a few exoKuiper belts, providing unique information about how planetesimals form and the dynamics in the outer regions of planetary systems. These first results are about to grow exponentially with the ongoing ALMA Large Program "ARKS", which is expanding the very small sample of well-resolved exoKuiper belts to unveil the diversity of radial and vertical substructures. These efforts have opened a window into the outer regions of planetary systems that is complementary to exoplanet surveys and planet formation studies.