Skip to main content
title

The Origins of Planetary Systems – Constraints from Protoplanetary Disks

What is the origin of the Solar System and other planetary systems?  We are living in an exciting era where the history of the Solar System is being revealed by in-situ measurements and sample returns from  solar system objects, laboratory analysis of meteorites, and by astronomical observations.
Here I will discuss how the study the protoplanetary disks can shed light on this fundamental question. First, I will show how the physical evolution of protoplanetary disks (grain growth, dust settling, and the dispersal of primordial gas) informs us on the timescales and mechanisms to form giant planets. Then, I will present recent results on the chemical diversity and evolution of protoplanetary disks. I will conclude by discussing an ongoing effort to observationally trace the evolution of volatiles in disks with implications on their delivery to terrestrial planets.

Cody Hall

Ilaria Pascucci (University of Arizona)

January 13, 2012
14:00 - 15:00