Formation and Evolution of Exocometary Discs

Introduction

The last two decades of exoplanet discoveries have revolutionised our view of planetary systems and our place in the cosmos, bringing us closer to answering fundamental questions about how these systems form and evolve.

Challenges in Outer Regions

These advancements have, however, mainly focused on the inner regions of these systems due to the difficulties of probing their colder outer regions, despite their importance for the formation and evolution of planets.

Breaking Barriers

These barriers are, nevertheless, breaking thanks to observational campaigns led by me and others with ALMA studying exocometary discs analogous to the Kuiper belt, and JWST searching for sub-Jupiter mass planets at tens of au.

Objectives of the ERC Program

This ERC program aims to constrain how the outer regions of planetary systems, and in particular the debris of which exocometary discs are made, form and evolve. Such an endeavour will require transforming our understanding of three key and interconnected pillars:

1. Formation of Exocometary Discs
   First, we must understand how exocometary discs form as their structures encode key information about planet formation processes. This will require developing the first holistic models for exocometary disc formation and their comparison with ALMA observational constraints.

2. Processes Shaping Exocometary Discs
   Second, we must study what processes shape exocometary discs after formation to be able to use disc observations to infer the dynamical history of systems. This will require studying the disc interaction with planets and even stellar encounters while systems are young, and comparing the outcome of these interactions with JWST and ALMA observations.

3. Understanding Exocometary Gas
   Third, we must advance in our understanding of exocometary gas as it could allow us to infer the presence of planets, affect their atmospheres, and the distribution of exocometary dust, biasing our dynamical inferences.

Conclusion

Only by developing these three pillars will we truly advance in our understanding of exocometary discs, a key element for deciphering planetary systems.