Welcome to MurraySpace!

The virtual home of 
 Dr. Murray D. Silverstone

Research Interests
Current Projects
Refereed Publications
Recent Presentations
CirriculumVitae
Personal Interests

RESEARCH INTERESTS

How and where do planets form? What is the relationship between planets and circumstellar dust disks? I am gaining insight into the history of our solar system by investigating other solar systems in formation, using high-contrast imaging of the light scattered by the dust grains orbiting in circumstellar disks, and infrared & sub-millimeter wavelength measurements of the thermal emission from such grains. I am analyzing the spatial morphology and composition of these disks to identify the signposts of planets that have formed, or are forming, and studying the conditions under which the planets grow and how circumstellar disks evolve.

How do the processes of star formation influence planet formation? How do circumstellar disks evolve from proto-stellar gas-rich accretion disks to gas-poor dust disks? Younger systems with signs of only weak or no gas accretion, but warm dust emission close to the host star, are rare "transition objects" and provide a unique sample to investigate the so-called "terrestrial planet zone." By using the above techniques to study these systems I seek to understand the conditions under which Earth-like planets form, and to constrain the time-scale in which gas-giant planets must accrete, before the circumstellar gas is removed by other mechanisms.

Are we alone in the universe? By learning about terrestrial biological research and applying my observational-astronomy expertise, I am investigating ideas and techniques to search for biomarkers and other evidence of the formation of life on planets orbiting other stars in our galaxy. If we find other examples of the evolution of life, we can investigate the processes of life and of evolution in a different environment from that which occurs today our planet, giving insight into both our distant past and possibly our future.