# Protoplanetary Disk Science Enabled by Extremely Large Telescopes

## TL;DR

Extremely Large Telescopes will revolutionize our understanding of planet formation by providing high-resolution data on protoplanetary disks, enabling detailed studies of chemical conditions and planet-disk interactions.

## Contribution

This paper advocates for a comprehensive survey using ELTs to obtain unbiased, detailed data on protoplanetary disks, advancing the understanding of planet formation processes.

## Key findings

- ELTs will provide high-resolution spectral and imaging data.
- Current knowledge is limited to bright, extreme cases.
- A volume-limited survey can offer an unbiased view of planet formation.

## Abstract

The processes that transform gas and dust in circumstellar disks into diverse exoplanets remain poorly understood. One key pathway is to study exoplanets as they form in their young ($\sim$few~Myr) natal disks. Extremely Large Telescopes (ELTs) such as GMT, TMT, or ELT, can be used to establish the initial chemical conditions, locations, and timescales of planet formation, via (1)~measuring the physical and chemical conditions in protoplanetary disks using infrared spectroscopy and (2)~studying planet-disk interactions using imaging and spectro-astrometry. Our current knowledge is based on a limited sample of targets, representing the brightest, most extreme cases, and thus almost certainly represents an incomplete understanding. ELTs will play a transformational role in this arena, thanks to the high spatial and spectral resolution data they will deliver. We recommend a key science program to conduct a volume-limited survey of high-resolution spectroscopy and high-contrast imaging of the nearest protoplanetary disks that would result in an unbiased, holistic picture of planet formation as it occurs.