From Protostars to Planetary Systems : FUV Spectroscopy of YSOs, Protoplanetary Disks, and Extrasolar Giant Planets

TL;DR

This paper discusses how far-ultraviolet spectroscopy of young stellar objects and protoplanetary disks can advance understanding of planetary system formation by providing critical data on their composition and evolution.

Contribution

It proposes a systematic observational approach using high-resolution FUV spectroscopy to study protostellar and protoplanetary objects, aiming to fill key knowledge gaps in planetary system formation.

Findings

Identifies key spectral diagnostics for planet formation processes.

Highlights the potential of new technologies for detailed FUV observations.

Proposes coordinated observation strategies for comprehensive data collection.

Abstract

The last two decades have seen remarkable progress in our long-standing goal of determining the abundance and diversity of worlds in the Galaxy. Understanding of this subject involves tracing the path of interstellar material from dense cloud cores, to young stellar objects, protoplanetary disks, and finally extrasolar planets. Here we discuss the critical information provided on these objects by point-source far-ultraviolet spectroscopy with a large aperture, high resolution spectrograph of a large sample of unique protostellar and protoplanetary objects that will leverage our existing knowledge to lay out a path to new and powerful insight into the formation process. We lay out a systematic case of coordinated observations that will yield new knowledge about the process of assembly for both protostellar and protoplanetary systems - that addresses specific uncertainties in our current knowledge and takes advantage of potential new technologies to acquire the data needed.