The SEEDS of Planet Formation: Indirect Signatures of Giant Planets in Transitional Disks
Carol Grady
Eureka Scientific and Goddard Space Flight Center


Circumstellar disks associated with PMS stars are the site where planetesimals form and grow, and ultimately where planets are produced. A key phase in the evolution of such disks is the phase where clearing of the disk has begun, potentially enabling direct detection of giant planets, but the disk retains sufficient material that indirect signatures that these are young planetary systems are also present. After reviewing what has been learned from studies of the IR spectral energy distribution and (sub)mm-interferometry, I will discuss recent results obtained as part of the Strategic Exploration of Exoplanets and Disks with Subaru (SEEDS).