Some Disassembly Required - Destructive Processes in Planetary Systems

Explore the destructive processes shaping planetary systems in this Institute for Advanced Study / Princeton University Joint Astrophysics Colloquium. Delve into N-body instabilities, catastrophic impacts, and atmospheric loss as Eugene Chiang from the University of California, Berkeley examines the violent histories written in orbital architectures of super-Earths and sub-Neptunes, scattered light morphologies of debris disks, chondritic meteorites, and chaotically variable light curves of disintegrating planets. Gain insights into how these destructive forces play a crucial role in shaping planetary systems alongside accretionary processes.