| Description |
Due to the observational difficulties of spatially resolving protostellar disk midplanes near the ice line, where most giant planet formation is thought to take place, most constraints on the possible locations and methods of giant planet formation have come from theory. We propose to use Herschel PACS and SPIRE photometry, and PACS spectroscopy, to observe five debris disks around Solar-type stars, in order to (1) observe young systems where giant planets cannot form, and (2) identify the available raw materials for typical planet formation. We will constrain the range of dust temperatures, and search for crystalline forsterite grains, as well as indirect diagnostics of ice and refractory carbon through deep line scans for C II (158 microns) and O I 63.2 microns. |
