EPJ Web of Conferences 11, 04006 (2011)
https://doi.org/10.1051/epjconf/20101104006

Towards the Rosetta Stone of planet formation

¹ Astrophysikalisches Institut und Universitäts-Sternwarte, Schillergässchen 2-3, D-07745 Jena, Germany
[gm@astro.uni-jena.de]
² Max-Planck-Institut für Extraterrestrische Physik, Giessenbachstraße, 85741 Garching, Germany
³ Institut für Physik, Univ. Rostock, D-18051 Rostock, Germany

Abstract

Transiting exoplanets (TEPs) observed just ~10 Myrs after formation of their host systems may serve as the Rosetta Stone for planet formation theories. They would give strong constraints on several aspects of planet formation, e.g. time-scales (planet formation would then be possible within 10 Myrs), the radius of the planet could indicate whether planets form by gravitational collapse (being larger when young) or accretion growth (being smaller when young). We present a survey, the main goal of which is to find and then characterise TEPs in very young open clusters.