TY - JOUR
T1 - The formation and evolution of planetary systems
T2 - Placing our solar system in context with Spitzer
AU - Meyer, Michael R.
AU - Hillenbrand, Lynne A.
AU - Backman, Dana
AU - Beckwith, Steve
AU - Bouwman, Jeroen
AU - Brooke, Tim
AU - Carpenter, John
AU - Cohen, Martin
AU - Cortes, Stephanie
AU - Crockett, Nathan
AU - Gorti, Uma
AU - Henning, Thomas
AU - Hines, Dean
AU - Hollenbach, David
AU - Kim, Jinyoung Serena
AU - Lunine, Jonathan
AU - Malhotra, Renu
AU - Mamajek, Eric
AU - Metchev, Stanimir
AU - Moro-Martin, Amaya
AU - Morris, Pat
AU - Najita, Joan
AU - Padgett, Deborah
AU - Pascucci, Ilaria
AU - Rodmann, Jens
AU - Schlingman, Wayne
AU - Silverstone, Murray
AU - Soderblom, David
AU - Stauffer, John
AU - Stobie, Elizabeth
AU - Strom, Steve
AU - Watson, Dan
AU - Weidenschilling, Stuart
AU - Wolf, Sebastian
AU - Young, Erick
PY - 2006/12
Y1 - 2006/12
N2 - We provide an overview of the Spitzer Legacy Program, Formation and Evolution of Planetary Systems, that was proposed in 2000, begun in 2001, and executed aboard the Spitzer Space Telescope between 2003 and 2006. This program exploits the sensitivity of Spitzer to carry out mid-infrared spectrophotometric observations of solar-type stars. With a sample of ∼328 stars ranging in age from ∼3 Myr to ∼3 Gyr, we trace the evolution of circumstellar gas and dust from primordial planet-building stages in young circumstellar disks through to older collisionally generated debris disks. When completed, our program will help define the timescales over which terrestrial and gas giant planets are built, constrain the frequency of planetesimal collisions as a function of time, and establish the diversity of mature planetary architectures. In addition to the observational program, we have coordinated a concomitant theoretical effort aimed at understanding the dynamics of circumstellar dust with and without the effects of embedded planets, dust spectral energy distributions, and atomic and molecular gas line emission. Together with the observations, these efforts will provide an astronomical context for understanding whether our solar system - and its habitable planet - is a common or a rare circumstance. Additional information about the FEPS project can be found on the team Web site.
AB - We provide an overview of the Spitzer Legacy Program, Formation and Evolution of Planetary Systems, that was proposed in 2000, begun in 2001, and executed aboard the Spitzer Space Telescope between 2003 and 2006. This program exploits the sensitivity of Spitzer to carry out mid-infrared spectrophotometric observations of solar-type stars. With a sample of ∼328 stars ranging in age from ∼3 Myr to ∼3 Gyr, we trace the evolution of circumstellar gas and dust from primordial planet-building stages in young circumstellar disks through to older collisionally generated debris disks. When completed, our program will help define the timescales over which terrestrial and gas giant planets are built, constrain the frequency of planetesimal collisions as a function of time, and establish the diversity of mature planetary architectures. In addition to the observational program, we have coordinated a concomitant theoretical effort aimed at understanding the dynamics of circumstellar dust with and without the effects of embedded planets, dust spectral energy distributions, and atomic and molecular gas line emission. Together with the observations, these efforts will provide an astronomical context for understanding whether our solar system - and its habitable planet - is a common or a rare circumstance. Additional information about the FEPS project can be found on the team Web site.
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U2 - 10.1086/510099
DO - 10.1086/510099
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:33846820457
SN - 0004-6280
VL - 118
SP - 1690
EP - 1710
JO - Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific
JF - Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific
IS - 850
ER -