Measurements and implications of the fundamental properties of planet-forming disks

Disks orbiting around young stars are thought to harbor on-going planet formation. This idea is now supported by observations of rich, potentially planet-related, substructures at both infrared and sub-mm wavelengths. Therefore, it is essential to understand the physical and chemical nature of the protoplanetary building blocks and their spatial distribution to better understand planet formation mechanisms and the demographics of the resulting planetary systems. In the past few years ALMA has transformed the field of planet formation by enabling statistical surveys at moderate resolution of large samples of disks and high-resolution imaging of disks around young stars. Nevertheless, improvements in data quality and sample size have possibly opened more fundamental questions than have been answered. Outstanding questions, that I will touch upon in my colloquium, include: how accurately do we know the dust and gas mass budget of disks? How is the mass spatially distributed and what is its radial extent? How geometrically thick and layered are disks and how is this connected to disk temperature? Each one of these properties is of fundamental interest as it sets the stage for disk evolution and corresponding planet formation theories.

Should you require any accommodations to ensure equal access and opportunity related to this event please contact Stacy Tiburzi at 734-764-3440 or stibu@umich.edu.