Planet formation on solar system scales
astro-ph.IM, astro-ph.EP
Submitted: 2026-10-15
Updated: 2026-10-15
Comments: Part of the ALMA2040 White Paper Series
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
The gist: Giant planets are often regarded as primordial protoplanetary "architects".
Abstract
Giant planets are often regarded as primordial protoplanetary "architects". Their formation and interactions with planetesimals and other planets during and after the protoplanetary disc phase are key to setting the blueprint of the planetary systems we observe today. Catching nascent gas giants is our best opportunity to uncover these crucial steps in the planet formation process and shed light on the origins of our own solar system. Over the last decade, ALMA has revolutionised our understanding of planet formation; still, detecting signatures of Jupiter-like planets has remained out of reach. We argue that ALMA2040, a next-generation sub(mm) interferometer with improved sensitivity (times25 in the continuum and times10 for line emission) and a times3 higher angular resolution compared to ALMA, will be sensitive to (sub)mm emission around a forming Jupiter-like planet orbiting a Sun-like star within 150, pc and allow kinematically characterising interactions of Jovian and sub-Jovian planets with their natal disc. ALMA2040 will provide unique and unprecedented insights into how gas giants carve gaps, accrete material, form satellites, and affect the architectures of their co-evolving planetary systems.
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