Workshop format

We are planning to hold a moderate-size meeting (~100 people) stretching over 4 days. The meeting will be made of 4 sessions covering both the solar system (SS) and extra-solar system (ESS) perspectives. Each session will start with invited talks (SS+ESS), followed by some shorter contributed presentations. A space will be available for displaying posters. Advanced astronomy graduate students will be welcome to attend the workshop. Limited amount of funding support might be available upon request.

We have identified the following sessions and topics to address during the 4-day workshop:

• Session 1: Planetary disks and the first Myr. of planetary formation:
  "The early solar system composition, meteorites and formation of early planetesimals, accretion time scales, zodiacal dust and formation of Oort cloud and Kuiper belt."
  versus
  "Multi-wavelength observations and modeling of the formation and evolution of planetary disks. Disk composition and gas/dust properties, disk morphology, rings, gaps, planetary signatures, debris disks."

• Session 2: Nature and dynamics of planetary bodies:
  "Shaping-up our solar system: Planetary migration, early solar-system dynamics, inventory of small icy solar system bodies and role of water in planetary evolution."
  versus
  "Observations of extra-solar systems by mean of RV, transit, microlensing, direct-imaging, nature and dynamics of exoplanets and the role of stellar environment on exoplanet formation."

• Session 3: Planetary atmospheres and biomarkers:
  "Biomarkers and possible niches of life throughout the solar system."
  versus
  "Atmosphere and internal structure of extra-solar planets. Observations and modeling."
  
• Session 4: Future prospects for direct-imaging of exoplanets and role of planet-finders for planetary studies at large, with a special emphasis towards ESO-SPHERE for the VLT. 

The workshop, limited to 100 participants, will take place at the ESO premises in Santiago, Chile.

For further information, contacts us on ops2012@eso.org

The workshop is sponsored by ESO.