Birthplaces of Planets in Their Earliest Stages: Towards Characterization of Young Protostellar Disks

Understanding how and when Earth, Jupiter, other planets in the Solar System, and numerous exoplanets formed within our galaxy remains a central question in astrophysics. In recent years, increasing evidence suggests that planet formation commences earlier than previously thought, suggesting that planets begin to form within nascent disks, still encased in their initial stellar envelopes. This perspective challenges traditional views of planetary genesis and highlights a gap between observations and theoretical frameworks.

Observational efforts using radio interferometers like the Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array (ALMA) and the Very Large Array (VLA) have characterized protostellar disks, revealing mass, chemical composition, and detailed dust structures down to the inner few astronomical units. These observations have complemented studies in the infrared through the Very Large Telescope (VLT) and W. M. Keck Observatory, which provide insights into accretion processes in young stellar objects. Space observatories, in particular the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), offer an unprecedented view of stellar nurseries. Theoretical advances and simulations focus on early planet formation, and constraining conditions of protostellar disks in terms of mass, radius, magnetization, and diversity. These studies revealed the crucial role of magnetic fields, turbulence, radiative transfer, and the star-disk connection, as well as dust (micro-)physics. The complex and intricate dust and gas interactions prove to be a massive modeling challenge. Overcoming this challenge is of particular importance because synthetic observations made with a realistic dust component connect models to real data, as dust grains are the building blocks of planets.

This Research Topic aims to refine our understanding of protostellar disks during the earliest stages of planet formation and to align theoretical projections with emerging empirical evidence, offering a platform where researchers can present and discuss recent discoveries.

The Editors invite contributions that focus on, but are not limited to, the following themes:

• Detailed characterization and observational evidence of young protostellar disks
• Impact of magnetic fields and turbulence on planet formation within protostellar environments
• Theoretical and simulation-based approaches to understanding disk mass, radius, magnetization, internal dynamics and dust evolution
• Integrative analyses linking dust microphysics and radiative transfer to early planet formation
• Synergies between observational technologies and synthetic observations in studying protostellar disks.

Through this Research Topic, we aim to foster a deeper dialogue among researchers and encourage a multidisciplinary approach to uncover the mysteries surrounding the origins of planetary systems.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Study Protocol
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Protoplanetary disks, Stars formation, Planetary systems, Planets formation, Planets composition, ISM, dust

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.