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VERSION:2.0
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PRODID:UW-Madison-Physics-Events
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SEQUENCE:0
UID:UW-Physics-Event-5042
DTSTART:20190228T213000Z
DTEND:20190228T230000Z
DTSTAMP:20260416T114506Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20190131T190503Z
LOCATION:4421 Sterling Hall\, Coffee and cookies 3:30 PM\, Talk begins
  3:45 PM
SUMMARY:Exploring Planet  Habitability\, Astronomy Colloquium\, Meredi
 th MacGregor\, Havard University
DESCRIPTION:More than 20% of nearby main sequence stars are surrounded
  by debris disks\, where planetesimals\, larger bodies similar to aste
 roids and comets in our own Solar System\, are ground down through col
 lisions.  The resulting dusty material is directly linked to any plane
 ts in the system\, providing an important probe of the processes of pl
 anet formation and subsequent dynamical evolution.  I will present hig
 hlights from ongoing work that explores how planetary systems form and
  evolve by (1) probing the grain properties of material in debris disk
 s\, (2) connecting debris disk structure to sculpting planets\, and (3
 ) understanding the impact of stellar flares on planetary habitability
 .  Measurements of the long wavelength spectral index determine the gr
 ain size distribution in circumstellar disks\, informing constraints o
 n composition and collision processes.  Detailed modeling of ALMA mill
 imeter observations constrains the properties of possible planets resp
 onsible for sculpting nearby debris disk systems.  Resolved imaging of
  debris disks also detects the host stars in many cases\, yielding add
 itional insights into the radiation environment of these planetary sys
 tems.  Together these results provide an exciting foundation to invest
 igate the evolution of planetary systems through multi-wavelength obse
 rvations. 
URL:https://www.physics.wisc.edu/events/?id=5042
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