CaltechAUTHORS
Published March 13, 2019 | Version Submitted
White Paper Open

Imaging Giant Protoplanets with the ELTs

Creators

Abstract

We have now accumulated a wealth of observations of the planet-formation environment and of mature planetary systems. These data allow us to test and refine theories of gas-giant planet formation by placing constraints on the conditions and timescale of this process. Yet a number of fundamental questions remain unanswered about how protoplanets accumulate material, their photospheric properties and compositions, and how they interact with protoplanetary disks. While we have begun to detect protoplanet candidates during the last several years, we are presently only sensitive to the widest separation, highest mass / accretion rate cases. Current observing facilities lack the angular resolution and inner working angle to probe the few-AU orbital separations where giant planet formation is thought to be most efficient. They also lack the contrast to detect accretion rates that would form lower mass gas giants and ice giants. Instruments and telescopes coming online over the next decade will provide high contrast in the inner giant-planet-forming regions around young stars, allowing us to build a protoplanet census and to characterize planet formation in detail for the first time.

Attached Files

Submitted - 1903.05319.pdf

Files

1903.05319.pdf

Files (853.7 kB)

Name Size Download all
md5:687bc0ff0694fe7d6bed001fa16dca11
853.7 kB Preview Download

Additional details

Identifiers

Eprint ID
96515
Resolver ID
CaltechAUTHORS:20190619-084158876

Related works

Describes
http://arxiv.org/abs/1903.05319 (URL)

Dates

Created
2019-06-19
Created from EPrint's datestamp field
Updated
2023-06-02
Created from EPrint's last_modified field

Caltech Custom Metadata

Caltech groups
Astronomy Department
Series Name
Astro2020 Science White Paper