super-Earths and mini-Neptunes (shortened as 'kepler planets') are the most abundant type of planets known to us. Currently, their formation channel is under debate.

In this talk, I will discuss our attempt to solve a small puzzle in the observations of these planets. We were led to claim that, after formation, each of these planets have scattered and digested a few Mars-massed objects. The small puzzle appears to have big implications. We may even have witnessed this process, which we believe to be universal, in some young systems.

BIO

Yanqing Wu is a professor of theoretical astrophysics in the Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics at the University of Toronto.