University of Arizona Lunar and Planetary Laboratory

New Capabilities

As of September 2026: Home institution of lead author Naman Bajaj

The James Webb Space Telescope surveyed 72 young sun-like stars and found their planet-forming disks lose gas through two distinct wind mechanisms in sequence. Magnetic fields drive strong jets and molecular winds in the youngest systems, then high-energy starlight heats the thinning gas until it escapes in a process called photoevaporation.

Updated Sep 28