Evolving protoplanetary disks

     
 

 

Stars and planetary systems are born deep inside molecular clouds of gas and dust. The detection of more than 350 exo-planets around nearby stars shows that the formation of gas-rich giant planets is common. But how do these planets form, and which ingredients are available to build them? Only long wavelength observations are able to probe the physical and chemical processes associated with the initial stages of star- and planet formation. In this talk, an overview of recent work by our group and colleagues on observations and models of protoplanetary disks around young stars in various stages of evolution will be presented. Observationally, spectroscopic data on gases and solids obtained with the Spitzer Space Telescope, VLT-CRIRES and millimeter interferometry will be discussed for a large sample of sources, including young disks that are still in the embedded phase as well as transitional disks with large inner dust holes. The results will be discussed in the context of models of flared and flat disks and their evolution from the protostellar to the debris disk phase. The prospects for future facilities, in particular the Herschel Space Observatory, the James Webb Space Telescope, the Atacama Large Millimeter Array and ELTs, will be discussed.

Ewine F. van Dishoeck