Karl Franzens University Graz
Graz University of Technology
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Karl Franzens University Graz | Graz University of Technology | |
Transiting planets orbiting hot, relatively massive stars Prior to the discovery of planets outside the solar system it had been generally assumed that such planets would be similar to the planets of our solar system. However, the last 20 years have shown that extrasolar planets have a much larger diversity than the planets of our solar system. There are even entirely new species of planets. The key questions thus are, how do planets form and what parameters determine the outcome of planet formation? Why have some stars massive planets while other do not? In recent years it has become clear that the properties of the planets are related to the proto-planetary disks. Since stars more massive than the sun have on average a more massive disk, it is expected that such stars should also have more massive planets. However, recent observations have also shown that disks of stars more massive than the Sun also have a short lifetime. By studying the planets of stars more massive than the sun, we can thus find out how the mass and the lifetime of the disks affect the properties of planets. |