Our March 9 meeting at 7pm in the Student Union, Cochise College Sierra Vista features a talk by Dr. Nick Ballering.
Nick is a postdoctoral research associate in astronomy at the University of Arizona, Steward Observatory. He received his B.S. in astronomy and physics from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. He then attended graduate school at the University of Arizona under the guidance of professor George Rieke, receiving his PhD in 2016. His research interests revolve around exoplanetary systems. What is their architecture? How do they form? How common or rare is our solar system? Nick works to answer these questions by observing circumstellar disks.
Nick uses ALMA to study the mass distribution of protoplanetary disks in stellar clusters to assess their potential for planet formation. He works with professor Josh Eisner and is a member of the Earths in Other Solar Systems team.
Talk title: Circumstellar Disks: Windows into Exoplanetary Systems
Talk abstract: Protoplanetary disks around young stars are the birthplaces of planets, while debris disks around older stars reveal the architectures of mature planetary systems. I will highlight my work on both classes of disks. The questions driving this research include: Do most protoplanetary disks have sufficient mass to form planets like those in our solar system? How are disks affected by their external environment? Do other planetary systems also have an asteroid belt, a Kuiper belt, and giant planets in between? I will also emphasize the dramatic progress made in the study of circumstellar disks since the advent of the ALMA radio telescope array, as well as the promise of future discoveries with the upcoming James Webb Space Telescope.