- Currently the only graduate textbook on planet formation from an astrophysical viewpoint, updated and expanded with the most up-to-date observations and latest theoretical developments
- Self-contained, the book brings together concepts from planetary science, star and planet formation, and planetary dynamics
- Covers recent theoretical developments, including pebble accretion, the streaming instability, the role of disk winds in protoplanetary disk evolution, and the role of self-gravity in forming massive planets
Concise and self-contained, this textbook gives a graduate-level introduction to the physical processes that shape planetary systems, covering all stages of planet formation. Writing for readers with undergraduate backgrounds in physics, astronomy, and planetary science, Armitage begins with a description of the structure and evolution of protoplanetary disks, moves on to the formation of planetesimals, rocky, and giant planets, and concludes by describing the gravitational and gas dynamical evolution of planetary systems. He provides a self-contained account of the modern theory of planet formation and, for more advanced readers, carefully selected references to the research literature, noting areas where research is ongoing. The second edition has been thoroughly revised to include observational results from NASA's Kepler mission, ALMA observations and the JUNO mission to Jupiter, new theoretical ideas including pebble accretion, and an up-to-date understanding in areas such as disk evolution and planet migration.
Table of Contents
- Observations of planetary systems
- Protoplanetary disk structure
- Protoplanetary disk evolution
- Planetesimal formation
- Terrestrial planet formation
- Giant planet formation
- Early evolution of planetary systems
The author Philip J. Armitage is a professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Stony Brook University, State University of New York and he leads the planet formation group at New York's Center for Computational Astrophysics.
