Philip J. Armitage develops the theory of planet formation and the early evolution of planetary systems. His lecture notes follow the sequence from the evolution of protoplanetary disks through planetesimal growth to terrestrial and gas giant formation.
An important physical connection is that formation and orbital evolution occur together. Planets exchange angular momentum with their surrounding gas, scatter smaller bodies and interact gravitationally with other planets. The resulting planetary migration means that an observed orbit need not identify the location where a planet originally acquired its mass.[ref]
Lecture notes on the formation and early evolution of planetary systems by Philip J. Armitage. Abstract and topical outline: disk evolution, planetesimal growth, migration, scattering and tides
Portrait of Philip J. Armitage
. External portrait hosted by JILA, University of Colorado Boulder. Source. New to topics? Read the docs here!