CREECH-EAKMAN , Michelle

The Planet Formation Imager (PFI) Project has formed a Technical Working Group (TWG) to explore possible facility architectures to meet the primary PFI science goal of imaging planet formation in situ in nearby star- forming regions. The goals of being sensitive to dust emission on solar system scales and resolving the Hill-sphere around...

Despite recent advancements, many fundamental questions still surround the processes that are involved in planetary birth: Where in the protoplanetary disk do the planets form and how do they grow? What factors determine the final architecture of planetary systems? How are water and other volatiles delivered to the protoplanets and how does...

The Planet Formation Imager (PFI, www.planetformationimager.org) is a next-generation infrared interferometer array with the primary goal of imaging the active phases of planet formation in nearby star forming regions. PFI will be sensitive to warm dust emission using mid-infrared capabilities made possible by precise fringe tracking in the...