Gas Evolution in the Planet-Forming Region of Disks

The timescale over which gas-rich disks disperse profoundly affects not only the formation of giant planets but also the habitability of terrestrial planets. In this contributed talk we presented new atomic and molecular diagnostics that can be used to trace the dispersal of gas at disk radii where planets form. We also showed the first observational evidence for photoevaporation driven by the central star and discussed the efficiency of this disk dispersal mechanism.