The Role of Gravitational Instability in Protostellar Disc Evolution and Planet Formation

Explore a 47-minute astronomy seminar that delves into gravitational instability's crucial role in protostellar disc evolution and planet formation. Learn how ALMA (Atacama Large Millimetre Array) observations reveal early planet formation in massive disc environments, where gravitational instabilities significantly influence development. Discover the distinct kinematic signatures of gravitationally unstable discs observable through molecular line emission, with practical examples from ALMA observations of two protoplanetary discs. Examine how dust dynamics interact with gravitational instabilities to enable planetary core formation through dust collapse in outer discs, potentially resolving challenges in core accretion theory. Follow along with hydrodynamical simulations demonstrating dust collapse within gas spiral arms and the subsequent evolution of planetary cores, concluding with insights into future research directions in this field.