Using Observations of Young Planets to Understand Planet Formation and Evolution
Dr. Adina Feinstein
NASA Sagan Postdoctoral Fellow
Michigan State University
Within the past decade, we have discovered only a dozen young (< 300 Myr) short-period exoplanets, compared to ~5,600 mature exoplanets. The radii of the young planets are much larger than that of the mature ones at similar equilibrium temperatures. The leading hypothesis is that these young planets have inflated atmospheres because they are still contracting, making them potentially ideal targets for atmospheric characterization. On the contrary, the inflated atmospheres are more susceptible to photoevaporation — atmospheric removal driven by high energy stellar irradiation. These effects are intensified in the earliest stages of planetary evolution, when young stars are more active and produce extreme levels of X-ray and Ultraviolet (UV) radiation on a variety of timescales. Even though it is challenging to study exoplanets around active stars, observational constraints of these targets provide crucial insights into our understanding of exoplanet formation and evolution. In this talk, I will present several benchmark studies of young stars and their planets spanning from the UV to the infrared (IR). I will present atmospheric follow-up characterization of young short-period exoplanets in the UV, optical, near-IR, and IR with JWST. I will put these observations into context of how they help us understand how planets form and evolve. Finally, I will discuss how simultaneous multi-wavelength campaigns may be the best path towards understanding young planetary atmospheres and their host stars.
Hosted by Prof. Weiss