Princeton University Extrasolar Planet Discussion Group

The very first step in planet formation is to build planetesimals out of dust particles in protoplanetary disks. The origin and demographics of planetesimals are crucial to understanding the Solar System, exoplanetary systems, and circumstellar disks. In this talk, I will present our latest works on planetesimal formation via the streaming instability --- one of the leading mechanisms to aerodynamically concentrate solids and produce planetesimals. I will then discuss the implications and connections between our high-resolution simulation results and recent disk observations as well as Solar System explorations, contextualizing our model for early planet formation in disks at various evolutionary stages.