13 November 2003

Speaker: Fred Adams ( University of Michigan)

Title: Chaotic Case Studies: Sensitive dependence on initial conditions in star formation and planet formation

Abstract: This talk discusses the formation of molecular cloud cores through ambipolar diffusion, terrestrial planet formation, giant planet migration, planet scattering in the solar birth aggregate, and the long term stability of planets in binary systems. Chaos, including sensitive dependence on initial conditions, plays a crucial role in all of these problems. In particular, the results cannot be described by a single value -- the answer is a distribution of possible outcomes.

References for students: