Debris Disks in the Far-Infrared with PRIMA

Speaker

Meredith MacGregor (Johns Hopkins University)

Abstract

More than 20% of nearby main sequence stars are surrounded by debris disks, where planetesimals, larger bodies similar to asteroids and comets in our own Solar System, are ground down through collisions.  The resulting dusty material is directly linked to any planets in the system, providing an important probe of the processes of planet formation and subsequent dynamical evolution.  Future far-Infrared (FIR) observatories like PRIMA will provide important clues to the volatile content, gas production mechanisms, and dynamical evolution of these evolved systems.  Notably, observations of the [OI] line at 63 µm and [CII] line at 158 µm can probe the C:O ratio to inform our understanding of planetary composition and formation mechanisms.  In this talk, I will highlight the range of debris disk science that will be enable by a future FIR observatory.  I will also describe the exciting the PRIMA Internship Program, an exciting student collaboration developed as part of the PRIMA Phase A study.

Please visit the P-CAST webpage https://prima.ipac.caltech.edu/page/p-cast for a link to join and to see all of our upcoming speakers! 

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