New Light on Young Stars: Spitzer's View of Circumstellar Disks October 26, 2008

The unprecedented infrared sensitivity of the Spitzer Space Telescope has enabled major advances in the study of protostellar, protoplanetary, and debris disks. Now, as Spitzer nears the transition from cryogenic to warm mission, it is an opportune time to assess and synthesize recent progress in our understanding of circumstellar disks and focus on the outstanding science questions for future work. At the meeting, results from Spitzer's surveys of circumstellar matter in the Milky Way will be considered in the context of work at other wavelengths and underlying theory in the following topic areas:

* Surveys of star-formation regions
* Effects of environment and central object on young disk properties
* Structure of protostellar/protoplanetary disks and envelopes
* Spectroscopic diagnostics of circumstellar gas and dust
* Transition disks, disk evolution, and planet formation
* Frequency, structure, and theory of debris disks

Official Website: http://www.ipac.caltech.edu/spitzer2008/