New Perspectives on the Physics and Chemistry of Planetary Birth

Friday, 14 February 2014
Water Tower (Hyatt Regency Chicago)
Edwin A. Bergin , University of Michigan , Ann Arbor, MI
New radio telescopes can now peer deep into the heart of young forming solar systems. In this talk, I will discuss insights from initial observations and how future observations will revolutionize our understanding of the gaseous chemistry and physics that precedes and accompanies planetary birth. It is this chemistry that sets the composition of gas giants and also influences the ultimate composition of water and organic ices that are delivered to terrestrial worlds.