notes from amsr, as ammended by Enrico Solano, please add/subtract.....

Evolution of proto-planetary discs from initial conditions to planets

a) The science case

 * Summary of problem and outcome
   What determines whether the accretion disc around a YSO forms planets?
   - stellar mass, metallicity, binarity, disc destruction etc.
   Leads to understanding the occurence and survival of planets (and
   potentially their nature, e.g. possibility of rocky planets with
   atmospheres and oceans)

### notes from Enrico
Potential problem: Firm conclusions require having a statistically
significant number of discs. Do we have them? Can we characterize
them? Are there other missions increasing the number of discs? To the
latter question the answer is yes as SPITZER will observe around 200
young stars with ages spanning a wide range of evolutionary stages
from objects still embedded in their parental clouds to Vega-type
stars. BUT these observations will belong to the Legacy Programme
named ``From Cores to Planet-Forming Disks'' and I do not know when
they will become public.
###

b)  * Workflow
   Find and characterise discs and look for evidence for planetary
   condensations
   - Enrique Solano's case - model fitting SEDs for unresolved
     protoplanetary discs using mm-NIR data, also involves
     characterising central star

   - Using dust:gas ratio (depletion due to ablation or condensation?)
   - Imaging - HST, continuum radio interferometry  (mm-cm)
     (non-therml disc ablation v. thermal dust etc.)
   - Kinematics and conditions using masers and other molecular lines
   - Chemical composition and diffentiation

   Relate properties to the environment
   - Local - jets, dynamically significant companions (model
     comparisons?), nearby OB stars
   - Metallicity of region (direct estimate, location in galaxy)
   - Age and IMF of star-forming region as a whole

c) * Data (within next few years)
   See Enrique Solano's case - IUE, ISO, 2MASS.  Spitzer

#
Some coverage in the optical is required. (Johnson, Stromgren, in
absolute flux units)
#
   sub-mm SCUBA (may be 'openning' archive', 'pre-ALMA' e.g. APEX)
   mm - VLA, CARMA (soon)
   cm - VLA, e-MERLIN in 2-3 years
   May need on-the-fly data centre imaging for interfero data
   masers - VLA, (e-)MERLIN, EVN, VLBA, ATCA etc.
   CO and thermal lines. CARMA, JCMT, pre-ALMA, ??Nobeyama?
   etc.

#
d) Key tools and algorithms:

Stellar models for physical parameters (Teff, logg, [M/H], masses,
luminosities,...)
#

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Contributions of low and intermediate mass stars...

NB use of masers to investigate mass loss e.g. possible direct
link between wind clump size and convection cells/stellar chemical
inhomogeneities in AGB stars