EXOA15

The first steps of planet formation occur when the young protostar (less than half a million years old) is still heavily accreting material, the planet-forming disk is growing, and the system itself is still enshrouded in the dust and gas of the natal cloud. Due to recent advances in observational studies with ALMA, JWST, and VLT, as well as theoretical work on the earliest stages of protostellar evolution, a wealth of information on those ‘first days’ of planets has been uncovered.
This session aims to present recent advances in protostellar studies and their impact on planet formation, Solar System studies, and exoplanet characterization, with the goal of strengthening links among those communities and experts in protostellar studies. The session invites contributions from theoretical and observational studies of young protostellar systems, including, but not limited to:
- Molecular and elemental composition of young disks and their comparison to mature ones
- Dust in the young disks and of the protostellar system: thermal processing of interstellar solids and minerals condensation, radial dust transport and refractory content of the jets, first stages of grain growth
- Infall and accretion onto the youngest protostars and their impact on the disk evolution, tracers of ongoing planet formation and accretion onto protoplanets
- Comparison of protostellar data with Solar System record of condensation of solids, the formation of chondrules, and the accretion of planetesimals.