Yale Astronomy & Astrophysics Colloquium - Yanqin Wu

A large number of transiting super-Earths have now been discovered. But how they are formed, and how they relate to known extra-solar planets and to planets in our own Solar System, remain unsolved. In this talk, I will discuss some recent progress regarding their masses, their composition, and their family portrait, all suggesting a new picture of planet formation that runs contrary to our old textbook ideas. I am also coming to think that planetary systems like our own, with low-mass terrestrials inside and cold giant planets outside, is likely rare in the Milky Way.