GEPOD: Global Evolution of Planet-fOrming Disks

对系外行星的观测揭示了行星系统构型的惊人多样性，这提出了一个基本问题：初始条件和行星(原行星盘)诞生地的动力学演化如何影响系外行星的性质？目前还不清楚在行星形成期间是什么驱动了这些圆盘的演化，也不清楚这些条件是如何由恒星的性质决定的。因此，在大型恒星性质的不同演化阶段观察圆盘并对其进行建模，对于约束当前的行星形成理论至关重要。GEPOD旨在为行星形成时原行星盘的全球演化提供观测和理论上的观点。我将带领和指导一个杰出的国际研究小组回答以下主要悬而未决的问题：(1)主导原行星盘演化的物理过程是什么；(2)这些过程如何影响形成类似地球的行星的近距离行星的化学成分；(3)行星形成是否发生得很早--可能是在恒星形成过程中；以及(4)主恒星的同时演化如何影响盘演化？高分辨率成像仪器，特别是ALMA和JWST，为我们提供了一个独特的机会来回答这些问题和测试行星形成的模型。在过去的十年里，我领导了理论模型的开发，以了解行星形成的第一步，我将这些模型与最先进的望远镜的观测数据进行了比较。我的理论研究和观测发现改变了我们理解行星起源的方式。凭借我开发的精致数据和理论机制的独特组合，GEPOD将改变我们对系外行星起源及其性质的理解。

Observations of exoplanets have revealed an astonishing diversity of planetary system configurations, which raises a fundamental question: How do initial conditions and the dynamical evolution of the birth-sites of planets (protoplanetary disks) influence the properties of exoplanets? It is unclear what drives the evolution of the disks while planets are forming, and how these conditions are determined by the stellar properties. Observing and modeling disks at various stages of evolution across large stellar properties is therefore crucial to constrain current theories of planet formation. GEPOD aims to provide an observational and theoretical view of the global evolution of protoplanetary disks at the time when planets form. I will lead and mentor an outstanding international research group to answer the following major open questions: (1) What are the physical processes that dominate the evolution of protoplanetary disks, (2) how do these processes affect the chemical composition of close-in planets where planets like Earth form, (3) does planet formation happen early- and possibly during the star formation process, and finally (4) how the simultaneous evolution of the host stars affect the disk evolution? High-resolution imaging instrumentation, in particular ALMA and JWST to which I have privileged access, provide us with a unique opportunity to answer these questions and test models of planet formation. Over the last decade I have led the development of theoretical models to understand the first steps of planet formation and I have compared these models with observational data from state-of-the-art telescopes. My theoretical research and observational discoveries have changed the way we understand the genesis of planets. With the unique combination of exquisite data and the theoretical machinery that I have developed, GEPOD will transform our understanding of the origins of exoplanets and their properties.