Colloq Abstract -Luca Ricci
April 28
11am Mountain
Lucca Ricci (CfA)
Investigating the early formation and evolution of planetary systems with sub-mm and radio interferometers
Abstract
Planets form through a huge growth of solids, starting from the tiny sub-micron sized grains found in the Interstellar Medium.
Sub-mm observations of young circumstellar disks, the cradles of planets, can reveal key steps along this process. Pebbles as large as ~ 1-10 millimeter have been found in nearly all young disks observed so far, orbiting either young stars or brown dwarfs. The spatial distribution of these particles can be investigated in great detail using sub-mm and radio interferometers such as ALMA and the VLA.
I will discuss how these observations inform models of the early evolution of solids toward the formation of planets. I will also present recent results from ALMA and VLA projects aimed at 1) detecting dust surrounding young protoplanets, and 2) studying the distribution of solids in a debris disk around a young Solar-like star, which gives an insight onto the dynamical interaction between a planetesimal belt and a planetary system embedded in the disk.
In the last part of the talk I will present preliminary results aimed at investigating the potential of the ngVLA at detecting signatures of planets in the inner regions of young disks.
