Unlocking the organic chemistry of planet formation
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Leeds
Department Name: Physics and Astronomy
Abstract
Planetary systems, such as our own, are assembled from dust, gas, and ice contained in protoplanetary discs around young stars. Studying these discs gives us unique insights into the raw material that goes on to form planets, and can answer fundamental questions about our place in the Universe. Is our Solar System rare? What types of planets are commonly formed? Where and how do planets inherit their composition?
While much progress has recently been made on studying protoplanetary discs with observatories such as the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), this is only able to tell us about the outer regions of protoplanetary discs where giant planets like Jupiter or Saturn might form. We know very little about the composition of i) the inner protoplanetary disc, where Earth-like (or terrestrial) planets are expected to form, and ii) the disc midplane, where the planet formation process starts.
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) will soon provide a unique window on protoplanetary discs. JWST will open up the innermost regions of discs, and SKA will peer into their most dense regions in the midplane. In this Fellowship, I will use a combination cutting-edge observations from these facilities, along with predictions from computer models, to understand the composition of protoplanetary discs across their full extent for the first time. My results will shed new light on the chemical composition of the raw material available for planet formation, and determine how similar this material is to our own Solar System.
While much progress has recently been made on studying protoplanetary discs with observatories such as the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), this is only able to tell us about the outer regions of protoplanetary discs where giant planets like Jupiter or Saturn might form. We know very little about the composition of i) the inner protoplanetary disc, where Earth-like (or terrestrial) planets are expected to form, and ii) the disc midplane, where the planet formation process starts.
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) will soon provide a unique window on protoplanetary discs. JWST will open up the innermost regions of discs, and SKA will peer into their most dense regions in the midplane. In this Fellowship, I will use a combination cutting-edge observations from these facilities, along with predictions from computer models, to understand the composition of protoplanetary discs across their full extent for the first time. My results will shed new light on the chemical composition of the raw material available for planet formation, and determine how similar this material is to our own Solar System.
Publications
Bae J
(2022)
Molecules with ALMA at Planet-forming Scales (MAPS): A Circumplanetary Disk Candidate in Molecular-line Emission in the AS 209 Disk
in The Astrophysical Journal Letters
Benisty Myriam
(2023)
Direct detection of kinematically-detected protoplanet candidates
in JWST Proposal. Cycle 2
Booth A
(2023)
Sulphur monoxide emission tracing an embedded planet in the HD 100546 protoplanetary disk
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Booth Alice S.
(2024)
An ALMA molecular inventory of warm Herbig Ae disks: I. Molecular rings, asymmetries and complexity in the HD 100546 disk
in arXiv e-prints
Booth Alice S.
(2024)
An ALMA molecular inventory of warm Herbig Ae disks: II. Abundant complex organics and volatile sulphur in the IRS 48 disk
in arXiv e-prints
Calahan J
(2022)
UV-driven chemistry as a signpost of late-stage planet formation
in Nature Astronomy
Calahan J
(2022)
UV-driven Chemistry as a Signpost for Late-stage Planet Formation
Mendigut
(2023)
What determines the inner sizes of protoplanetary disks?
in Highlights on Spanish Astrophysics XI
Description | exoALMA |
Organisation | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Department | MIT Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research |
Country | United States |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | By leveraging the unparalleled spatial and spectral resolution of the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), the exoALMA program is searching for still-forming planets embedded in their parental protoplanetary disks through their influence on the dynamics of the surround gas. To this end, exoALMA will focus on 15 sources, taking some of the deepest and most sensitive images of these planet forming nurseries to transform our understanding of how planetary systems can form. The figure below shows the current state of exoplanet demographics, and highlights the region in which exoALMA will be most transformative. |
Collaborator Contribution | We have a team of experts whose expertise span all observational and theoretical aspects of planet formation, planet-disk interactions and protoplanetary disks |
Impact | Outcomes will be delivered once the program is completed. |
Start Year | 2022 |
Description | exoALMA |
Organisation | National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) |
Country | United States |
Sector | Public |
PI Contribution | By leveraging the unparalleled spatial and spectral resolution of the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), the exoALMA program is searching for still-forming planets embedded in their parental protoplanetary disks through their influence on the dynamics of the surround gas. To this end, exoALMA will focus on 15 sources, taking some of the deepest and most sensitive images of these planet forming nurseries to transform our understanding of how planetary systems can form. The figure below shows the current state of exoplanet demographics, and highlights the region in which exoALMA will be most transformative. |
Collaborator Contribution | We have a team of experts whose expertise span all observational and theoretical aspects of planet formation, planet-disk interactions and protoplanetary disks |
Impact | Outcomes will be delivered once the program is completed. |
Start Year | 2022 |