Disk Dispersal and Planet Formation Time Scales

TL;DR

This paper reviews the current understanding of how circumstellar disks around young stars evolve over time, highlighting the diversity in their dispersal and implications for planet formation.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive summary of the different evolutionary paths of proto-planetary disks and their impact on planet formation timescales.

Findings

Disks typically dissipate within a few million years.

Diverse evolutionary pathways influence planet formation potential.

Disk dispersal mechanisms vary among systems.

Abstract

Well before the existence of exo-solar systems was confirmed, it was accepted knowledge that most -- if not all -- stars possess circumstellar material during the first one-to-several million years of their pre-main sequence lives, and thus that they commonly have the potential to form planets. Here I summarize current understanding regarding the evolution of proto-planetary dust and gas disks, emphasizing the diversity in evolutionary paths.