HEP Weekly Seminar: The evolution of planetary systems (Dr. Matthias Schreiber, UTFSM)

America/Santiago
Description
Abstract:
The detection of the first exoplanet around a sun-like star revolutionized astrophysics. Today, 26 years later, more than 4000 exoplanets have been discovered and it has become clear that for stars to host a planetary system is rather the rule than the exception. All known exo-planet hosts stars will eventually evolve into white dwarfs, their burnt-out cores left behind after the end of the fusion of hydrogen and helium. It is observationally well established that many white dwarfs are accreting small planetary bodies, including asteroids and comets, and very recently the first planets around white dwarfs have been detected. This indicates that planetary systems survive, at least in part, the metamorphosis of their host stars. I will review what is known about the evolution of planetary systems when their host stars evolve, under which conditions planets or planetary systems may survive, and what we can learn about the composition of exoplanets from observing white dwarfs. Finally, I will show that understanding the physics of the planets in our solar system provides important hints for solving one of the biggest mysteries related to white dwarfs.
The agenda of this meeting is empty