Star & planet formation: Upcoming opportunities in the space-based infrared by Floris van der Tak. on Wednesday 30 November

While ALMA and JWST are revolutionizing our view of star and planet formation

with their unprecedented sensitivity and resolution at submillimeter and

near-IR wavelengths, many outstanding questions can only be answered with

observations in the thermal (mid- and far-) infrared domain. Many of these

questions require space-based observations, to achieve the necessary

sensitivity and/or wavelength coverage. In particular, how do interstellar

clouds develop filamentary structures and dense cores? What are the masses and

luminosities of objects at the earliest stages of star formation? What are the

gas masses of planet-forming disks, and how do these disks disperse during

planet formation? How is refractory and volatile material distributed within

the disks, and how does this evolve with time? This article reviews how

upcoming and planned balloon-borne and space-based telescopes for the mid- and

far-infrared will address these questions, and outlines which further missions

will be needed beyond 2030, when the ELTs will be in full operation.

arXiv: http://arxiv.org/abs/http://arxiv.org/abs/2211.15149v2