Life among giants: Jovian exoplanets and the habitable zone

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How and where do gas giant planets like Jupiter form? The best answers would come from direct studies of the cradles of planetary birth themselves. This project takes direct aim at the forbidding technological challenge to recover the first images of planetary birth at the required scales of size (around Jupiter's orbit) and contrast. In revealing the architecture of formation of the giants, we simultaneously make an enormous stride in understanding the potential for habitable rocky worlds such as Earth, whose orbits will be dictated by the Jovians. Our program is driven by unique and innovative photonics technologies integrated within the best modern telescope facilities, allowing us to open a new window in exoplanetary science.