Cosmic Petrology: the composition of bodies in young solar systems and infrared spectroscopy of circumstellar dust and meteorites

Over the last 20 years, infrared astronomy allowed for the first time to determine the mineralogical composition of the dust material observed around young stars in the circumstellar and debris disk stage. For our Solar System, we have material left over from this stage in the form of meteorites and various other planetary materials. So the infrared spectroscopic study of these materials can help to link the detailed (forensic) knowledge we have of our, early Solar System with the observations of similar systems forming right now. I will give an overview of my work in this field in the past – comparison of astronomical data with lab studies with e.g. primitive meterorites, the influence of impact shock, as well as of current work.