Astronomy Unit Seminar - Paola Pinilla

When: Friday, February 5, 2021, 2:30 PM - 3:30 PM
Where: Online event

Speaker: Paola Pinilla (MPIA Heidelberg)

Dust Evolution in Protoplanetary Disks: Models, Observations and Laboratory Experiments

In this new era of powerful telescopes such as ALMA, we are now able to study the birth of planets in disks around young stars, in more detail than ever before. New observations are revealing fascinating structures in protoplanetary disks that are transforming our understanding of the formation and evolution of planetary systems. In this seminar, I will explain theoretical models of dust evolution in protoplanetary disks and I will compare these theoretical predictions with current multi-wavelength disk observations. I will also present how new results from laboratory experiments of dust collisions are challenging our understanding of planet formation. These links between models, observations and laboratory experiments are providing significant insights about how different physical conditions play a crucial role in the formation of the first planetesimals, and is extending our understanding of how initial conditions of protoplanetary disks are reflected in the large diversity of extrasolar systems observed up today.