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[PLS] Yayaati Chachan (McGill)

Date: Tuesday, April 2, 2024 Time: 12:30 - 1:30pm Location: 54-517 | MIT Campus, Cambridge, MA Attend Virtually

“How to Build a Planet: Assembling Planets in Stellar Sandboxes”

Abstract: Nearly every star has a planet orbiting around it. The formation of planets is therefore a robust outcome of star formation. Yet, our understanding of this process is still fairly primitive. In this talk, I will summarize my efforts to shed new light on the process of planet formation. By using both theoretical and observational tools, I will piece together explanations of a variety of observed properties of planets, from their orbital architectures to their compositions.
Specifically, I will show how the relation between planet occurrence rates and host star masses is a consequence of the efficiency with which dust is converted into planets. Furthermore, I’ll demonstrate how a class of planets called ultra hot Jupiters (with effective temperatures >~ 2000 K) are uniquely suited for uncovering the origin of close-in giant planets. Finally, I will summarize observational efforts that will test these ideas and provide us with more clues about how planets form.

[PLS] Planetary Lunch Seminar 

Colloquia topics span the range of research interests of the department’s planetary sciences research program, and the talks are intended to appeal to any graduate students, postdocs, research scientists, and faculty with a background in planetary science. Speakers include members of the MIT community and visitors. 

Contact:planetary-org@mit.edu.