Department Lecture Series (DLS) – Jennifer Bergner (UC Berkeley)

Volatile chemistry & planet formation

Planets form within disks composed of gas, ice, and dust in orbit around young stars. The composition and distribution of volatiles (gas+ice) within these disks profoundly impacts both the chemical and physical outcomes of planet formation. In this talk, I will highlight our recent advances in characterizing the gas and ice reservoirs available to forming planets and planetesimals using observations from ALMA and JWST. I will also describe how we use laboratory experiments to explore the chemical and microphysical behavior of volatile molecules in the extreme physical conditions that characterize planet-forming environments. Such experiments play a crucial role in the interpretation of disk chemistry observations as well as the behavior of modern-day icy planetesimals. Indeed, we recently showed that a consideration of ice microphysics can explain the peculiar properties of the first discovered interstellar object, 1I/’Oumuamua. Taken together, we are assembling a more complete picture of the chemical environment which regulates the formation, composition, and potential habitability of planetesimals and planets.

About this Series: The Department Lecture Series at EAPS at MIT is a series of weekly talks given by leading thinkers in the areas of geology, geophysics, geobiology, geochemistry, atmospheric science, oceanography, climatology, and planetary science. For more information and Zoom password please contact Madelyn Musick: mmusick@mit.edu