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arXiv · astro-ph/0109038

The Formation and Evolution of Planetary Systems: SIRTF Legacy Science in the VLT Era

M. R. Meyer·D. Backman·S. V. W. Beckwith·T. Y. Brooke·J. M. Carpenter·M. Cohen·U. Gorti·T. Henning·L. A. Hillenbrand·D. Hines·D. Hollenbach·J. Lunine·R. Malhotra·E. Mamajek·P. Morris·J. Najita·D. L. Padgett·D. Soderblom·J. Stauffer·S. E. Strom·D. Watson·S. Weidenschilling·E. Young
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Abstract

We will utilize the sensitivity of SIRTF through the Legacy Science Program to carry out spectrophotometric observations of solar-type stars aimed at (1) defining the timescales over which terrestrial and gas giant planets are built, from measurements diagnostic of dust/gas masses and radial distributions; and (2) establishing the diversity of planetary architectures and the frequency of planetesimal collisions as a function of time through observations of circumstellar debris disks. Together, these observations will provide an astronomical context for understanding whether our solar system - and its habitable planet - is a common or a rare circumstance. Achieving our science goals requires measuring precise spectral energy distributions for a statistically robust sample capable of revealing evolutionary trends and the diversity of system outcomes. Our targets have been selected from two carefully assembled databases of solar-like stars: (1) a sample located within 50 pc of the Sun spanning an age range from 100-3000 Myr for which a rich set of ancillary measurements (e.g. metallicity, stellar activity, kinematics) are available; and (2) a selection located between 15 and 180 pc and spanning ages from 3 to 100 Myr. For stars at these distances SIRTF is capable of detecting stellar photospheres with SNR >30 at lambda < 24 microns for our entire sample, as well as achieving SNR >5 at the photospheric limit for over 50% of our sample at lambda=70 microns. Thus we will provide a complete census of stars with excess emission down to the level produced by the dust in our present-day solar system. More information concerning our program can be found at: http://gould.as.arizona.edu/feps

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M. R. Meyer, D. Backman, S. V. W. Beckwith, T. Y. Brooke, J. M. Carpenter, M. Cohen, U. Gorti, T. Henning, L. A. Hillenbrand, D. Hines, D. Hollenbach, J. Lunine, R. Malhotra, E. Mamajek, P. Morris, J. Najita, D. L. Padgett, D. Soderblom, J. Stauffer, S. E. Strom, D. Watson, S. Weidenschilling, E. Young. 2001-09-03. The Formation and Evolution of Planetary Systems: SIRTF Legacy Science in the VLT Era. https://doi.org/10.1007/10856518_60

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