Cosmological inflation is one of the leading paradigms for explaining the physical conditions that prevailed in the early Universe. It consists in a phase of very high energy accelerated expansion that solves the hot big bang model problems. When combined with Quantum Mechanics, it also provides a causal mechanism for generating cosmological fluctuations on large scales.
Protoplanetary disks are the cradles of planet formation. With the recent instrumental advances in sensitivity and spatial resolution, we start to discover the first signposts of ongoing planet formation within these disks both in submm emission of cold large dust and in near-IR scattered light from small dust grains: Gaps, spiral arms and non-axisymmetric structures. High contrast near-IR imaging has discovered the first protoplanet candidates still embedded in their natal disk.
