Institute for Advanced Study Informal Astrophysics Seminar

Connecting planetary systems at different stages of stellar evolution helps us understand their formation, evolution and fate, and provides us with exclusive and crucial insights about their dynamics and chemistry. Post-main-sequence stars -- white dwarfs, giant branch stars and pulsars -- all host planetary systems which include a variety of observed objects and phenomena, such as remnant debris discs, distintegrating asteroids, and photospheric metal pollution. Here I provide a review of our current knowledge of these systems. I show how this interdisciplinary field incorporates several facets of stellar and solar system physics and chemistry, and represents a dynamical playground for theorists.