Special Physics Seminar

From Protoplanetary Disks to Planetary Systems Through the Astrochemical Lens

L. Ilsedore Cleeves

Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics

During the first few Myr of a young star's life, it is encircled by a disk made up of molecular gas, dust, and ice: building blocks of future planetary systems. How and when these disks form planets and what sets their initial composition remain key unanswered questions in disk science. In recent years, the Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array (ALMA) has transformed our understanding of the chemical composition and physical properties of protoplanetary disks. Major advances in sensitivity and spatial resolution have revealed complex radial, vertical, and azimuthal structures in the dust and gas. In this talk, I will review recent observational results and emerging theoretical puzzles, highlighting the central role of energetic and ionizing processes originating from the host star and nearby stars, and discuss how these fit into the emerging, broader picture of the disk environment. Finally, I will describe how we might connect the outer, cold disk reservoir to the inner, terrestrial planet-forming region, along with new techniques to detect individual young protoplanets in situ.