Planetary astrophysics is the most rapidly advancing
field in the world-wide astronomical community today.
Planetary census suggest that planets, especially those
similar to the Earth, are prevalent around nearby
stars. The game-changing influx of data from exoplanet
surveys and characterization of protostellar disks
have revitalized intense efforts to understand the
formation and evolution of planets including those in
the Solar System and to extrapolate the ubiquity of
habitable planets and the possibility of finding
tell-tale signs of life on them. Emerging comparative
planetology show evidences that planets' diverse
structure and kinematic properties are likely to be
the byproducts of both the environment of their
cradles and the long-term evolution of these complex
dynamical systems. I will describe some recent
paradigm shifts in theory of planet formation,
especially on the role of planets' migration in
their evolving natal disks, their interaction
with each other and with their host stars.
|
