9/22/16: SO/NOAO Joint Colloquium Series: Robin Dong, Steward
Title: Introducing a New Field: Observational Planet Formation
Abstract:
Planets form in gaseous protoplanetary disks surrounding newborn stars. As such, the best way to learn how they form from observations, is to directly watch them forming in disks. This is the most direct way to address the three most fundamental questions in planet formation: when, where, and how do planets form. In the past, due to the difficulties in detecting planets in young gas disks, planet formation was largely a subject of theoretical astrophysics. Now, thanks to a fleet of new instruments with unprecedented resolving power that have recently come online, we have just started to unveil features in resolve images of protoplanetary disks, such as gaps and spiral arms, that are mostly likely associated with embedded (unseen) planets. By comparing observations with theoretical models of planet-disk interactions, the locations and masses of these still forming planets may be constrained. This marks the onset of a new field — observational planet formation. I will introduce this new field, review the current status, and highlight some of the latest major advances.
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