From Galaxies to Planets: an elemental journey
Heavy elements are the key to understand the formation of planets, as they determine the growth rates of planets as well as the planetary composition. We can trace these heavy elements not only in the atmospheres of (exo)-planets, but also in protoplanetary discs, where the planets form, and in stars within our galaxy. The stellar abundances are used, in turn, to inform the initial condition of planet formation simulations.
As the production of heavy elements happens in different stellar production sites (e.g. Supernovae type Ia, type II), their enrichment differs across the galaxy and is thus individual for each planetary system. In this workshop, we will unite experts in galactic chemical evolution, stellar abundances and evolution, protoplanetary discs, and exoplanets to understand the overarching synergies between the different fields related to heavy elements and how their unification can help us to understand the puzzle of planet formation.
The following topics are anticipated and will be covered:
- evolution of heavy elements in a galactic context
- elemental abundances of stars within the Milky Way
- formation of stars and their protoplanetary discs
- structural and chemical evolution of protoplanetary discs
- chemical composition and interior structures of planets
- planet formation theories
As we have participants from different backgrounds we will start the conference on Monday with review talks related to (1) galactic chemical evolution, (2) stellar abundances, (3) star and disc formation, (4) protoplantary disc evolution and compositon, (5) planet interiors and composition, and (6) exoplanets.
As the workshop will be highly interdisciplinary, we will organize long discussion sessions to facilitate the interactions between participants from different scientific background.
The workshop location is the Ringberg Castle in the Bavarian Alps in southern Germany. Ringberg meetings are small workshops of about 48 people and well known for providing a special environment for lively scientific interaction. Both the restricted number of participants as well as the gorgeous castle location are ideally suited for meeting old friends as well as new colleagues and for learning from each other in formal and informal meetings. We very much hope you can join us for a lively and fun exchange of ideas.
Code of Conduct
We would like all participants to feel safe during the workshop. Before travelling to Ringberg please familiarise yourself with the code of conduct of the Max Planck Society which you can download here
The SOC: Bertram Bitsch and Anders Johansen