Abstract
In this lecture I will focus on the astrophysical view of planet formation as it pertains to the development of the known exoplanet population as well as our own Solar system. Some attention will be placed on the development of dust in the interstellar medium, how it was cooked and served to the birth place of stars (and by extension planets), and what we know about the chemical compositions of this planet-forming materiel. I will then outline the relevant physics for planet formation, concentrating mostly on the small to medium sized planets - the ones that will likely depend most strongly to geological processes.
Credit: ESO image archive
Speaker
© A. Cridland
Dr. Alexander Cridland
Staff Scientist
Theoretical Astrophysics of Extrasolar Planets
USM, LMU Munich
Research Interests:
Planet formation | Astrochemistry | Giant Planet Atmospheres