Dr Catherine Walsh: The Birth and Evolution of Planetary Systems in the era of ALMA

The unprecedented sensitivity of ALMA (the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array) has allowed the first detection of so-called ‘complex organic molecules’, or COMs, defined in astrochemistry as molecules with greater than five atoms. The detection and analysis of COM emission from planet-forming disks is vital for understanding the chemical archaeological record of our Solar System contained within comets. In this seminar, Dr Catherine Walsh will give an overview of current understanding of protoplanetary disk chemistry in light of recent data from ALMA. We will discuss how chemistry affects the dust-ice-gas balance and influences the composition of forming comets (or icy planetesimals), the building blocks of planets.

Non-members: £3,    Members: society rate.