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The radial velocities and direct imaging observations of exoplanets have suggested that the frequency of giant planets may decrease for intermediate-mass stars ($2.5-8\,M_\odot$). The key mechanism that could hinder their formation remains…
We consider the inner $\sim$ AU of a protoplanetary disk (PPD), at a stage where angular momentum transport is driven by the mixing of a radial magnetic field into the disk from a T-Tauri wind. Because the radial profile of the imposed…
Tidal interactions between the embedded planets and their surrounding protoplanetary disks are often postulated to produce the observed complex dust substructures, including rings, gaps, and asymmetries. In this Letter, we explore the…
Observational studies show that the probability of finding gas giant planets around a star increases with the star's metallicity. Our latest simulations of disks undergoing gravitational instabilities (GIs) with realistic radiative cooling…
Around 16% of the solar-like stars in our neighbourhood show IR-excesses due to debris discs and a fraction of them are known to host planets. We aim to determine in a homogeneous way the metallicity of a sample of stars with known debris…
The coagulation of microscopic dust into planetesimals is the first step towards planet formation. The size and shape of the growing aggregates determine the efficiency of this early growth. It has been proposed that fluffy ice aggregates…
We apply ionization balance and MHD calculations to investigate whether magnetic activity moderated by recombination on dust can account for the mass accretion rates and the mid-infrared spectra and variability of protostellar disks. The…
We have evaluated the rate at which the asteroid belt is losing material, and how it splits between macroscopic bodies and meteoritic dust. The mass loss process is due to the injection of asteroid fragments into unstable dynamical regions,…
We present a novel mechanism for the outward transport of crystalline dust particles: the outward radial drift of pebbles. The dust ring structure is frequently observed in protoplanetary disks. One of the plausible mechanisms of the…
Solid particles in protoplanetary disks that are sufficiently super-solar in metallicity overcome turbulence generated by vertical shear to gravitationally condense into planetesimals. Super-solar metallicities result if solid particles…
Requirements for magnetic coupling and accretion in the active layer of a protostellar disk are re-examined, and some implications for thermal emission from the layer are discussed. The ionization and electrical conductivity are calculated…
It is often argued that gravitational instability of realistic protoplanetary discs is only possible at distances larger than $\sim 50$ au from the central star, requiring high disc masses and accretion rates, and that therefore disc…
Because of their common origin, it was assumed that the composition of planet building blocks should, to a first order, correlate with stellar atmospheric composition, especially for refractory elements. In fact, information on the relative…
The role of stellar metallicity in shaping planetary systems is central to our understanding of planet formation. While the core accretion paradigm is widely accepted as the dominant mechanism for forming low- and intermediate-mass planets,…
The formation of planetesimals in protoplanetary disks due to collisional sticking of smaller dust aggregates has to face at least two severe obstacles, namely the rapid loss of material due to radial inward drift and particle fragmentation…
Metal-rich asteroids and iron meteorites are considered core remnants of differentiated planetesimals and or products of oxygen-depleted accretion. Investigating the origins of iron-rich planetesimals could provide key insights into planet…
Some Jupiter-mass exoplanets contain $\sim$$100\, M_\oplus$ of metals, well above the $\sim$$10\, M_\oplus$ typically needed in a solid core to trigger giant planet formation by runaway gas accretion. We demonstrate that such `heavy-metal…
We propose a mechanism by which dust rings in protoplanetary disks can form and be long-lasting compared to gas rings. This involves the existence of a pressure maximum which traps dust either in between two gap-opening planets or at the…
Planetesimal formation via the streaming and gravitational instabilities of dust in protoplanetary disks requires a local enhancement of the dust-to-gas mass ratio. Radial drift of large grains toward pressure bumps in gas disks is a…
In the context of planet formation, growth from micron-sized grains to kilometer-sized planetesimals is a crucial question. Since the dust growth rate depends on the amount of dust, realizing planet formation scenarios based on dust growth…