Abstract
For the last few decades the study of disks around stars young and old and of different types have progressed significantly. During the same time a completely new discipline—the study of exoplanets, planets orbiting stars other than our Sun—have emerged. Both these fields, which are interconnected, have benefited from the development of new instrumentation, and especially by telescopes and detectors deployed in space. In this chapter we are describing the state of the art of such instruments and make an inventory of what is being currently developed. We also state some of the requirements of the next steps and what type of instruments will lead the way forward.
Highlights
Our Solar System has a complex architecture that contains (1) Planets of several types, from giant gas giants to rocky terrestrial planets, (2) Debris disks, e.g. the zodiacal dust belt and the Kuiper-Edgeworth belt in the Solar System or disks of the β Pic or AU Mic type, and (3) Planetesimals or remnants thereof—e.g. Comets, Asteroids or Dwarf planets
Within the two topics discussed in this paper—star- and planet-forming disks, as well as the direct and indirect observation of exoplanets themselves the telescope have contributed significantly. One of these discoveries were the detection of proto-planetary disks in Orion (O’Dell et al 1993) which demonstrated the presence of dense dusty structures of Solar System dimensions that were visible since the surrounding gas had been ‘blown away’ by stellar wind and radiation pressure from the O- and B-type stars forming in the vicinity
The “gold standard” in radial velocity measurements is held by the two HARPS (High Accuracy Radial velocity Planet Searcher) spectrographs, HARPS-N deployed at the Telescope Nazionale Galileo (TNG) in La Palma, Canary Islands, Spain
Summary
Our Solar System has a complex architecture that contains (1) Planets of several types, from giant gas giants to rocky terrestrial planets, (2) Debris disks, e.g. the zodiacal dust belt and the Kuiper-Edgeworth belt in the Solar System or disks of the β Pic or AU Mic type, and (3) Planetesimals or remnants thereof—e.g. Comets, Asteroids or Dwarf planets. Must a planet be located in the Habitable Zone (HZ, usually defined as the range of distance from the host star within liquid water can exist) Once such planets have formed, their orbits must be stable for a long enough time to provide the physical conditions for the formation of life. The uniqueness or commonality of the Earth is fundamental to a proper understanding of such central issues as the properties needed by a planet in order for life to arise, the origin and evolution of life, and how common life is in the Universe. The answer to such questions should be based on sound scientific inquiry and not just speculation
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