Jorge Perez Gonzalez (Spain)

joperez @ mpia.de       jorge.perez_gonzalez @ uni-heidelberg.de

Uncovering the Hidden Physics of Planet Formation in the Shadows of Protoplanetary Disks

The formation of planetary systems remains one of the most fundamental problems in astronomy. Along with the origin of the universe, galaxies, and life, it is a critical piece of understanding where we came from. Planets form in complex disks of circumstellar gas and dust, which were traditionally thought to vary smoothly in all directions. However, recent multi-wavelength and high angular resolution observations of protoplanetary disks challenge this interpretation, as many disks appear to be warped or broken.  This has been inferred from the presence of shadows in the observations, likely caused by a misaligned inner disk.
By combining numerical modeling and the analysis of state-of-the-art observations from the Atacama Large Millimeter Array and the Very Large Telescope, I plan to address questions such as
- What role do the shadows play in triggering the planet formation process?
- Can these shadows shape the chemical reservoirs of the disk and thus the composition of the forming planets?
- How does the disk gas and dust respond to steep gradients in the incoming radiation?

Supervisors:    Kees Dullemond (ITA)  /  Myriam Benisty (MPIA)