U.S.-Germany Cooperative Research on the Molecular Gas Surrounding Newly Formed Massive Stars

该奖项支持爱德华·B·丘奇韦尔博士和威斯康星大学的研究生与德国波恩马克斯·普朗克射电天文学研究所的马尔科姆·沃尔姆斯利博士合作。他们正在研究大质量恒星形成和随后演化的条件，方法是研究嵌入恒星的剩余分子气体以及恒星与恒星的相互作用。特别是，他们将通过观察仔细挑选的探测电离气体和分子气体的分子和原子线来检验弓激波假说。这些观测数据将来自美国、西班牙和德国天文台的观测数据。这个项目是丘克威尔博士正在进行的研究的一个重要扩展，如果没有合作，这些研究是不可能的。沃尔姆斯利博士是星际介质方面公认的专家，尤其是星际分子和电离气体云中物理条件的计算和解释。这些领域对他们的联合研究尤为重要。他还提供了使用由德国MPI操作的100米望远镜的便利途径，并带来了使用专门仪器的专业知识。他还将密切合作，开发分子气体的详细模型。丘克威尔博士提供VLA测量方面的专业知识，并将使用像新墨西哥州的VLA这样的干涉仪器在美国进行观测，以高空间分辨率研究这些天体。大质量恒星是在巨型分子云内部分子气体的密集凝聚中形成的。它们在星系和星际介质的能量学中起着至关重要的作用，但人们对它们的形成和早期演化知之甚少。该项目将通过获取周围热气体的详细物理参数和空间分布，为此类大质量恒星的形成提供新的见解。

This award supports Dr. Edward B. Churchwell and a graduate student of the University of Wisconsin to collaborate with Dr. Malcolm Walmsley of the Max-Planck Institute for Radioastronomy in Bonn, Germany. They are studying the conditions under which massive stars form and subsequently evolve by investigating the remaining molecular gas in which the star is embedded and the star's interaction with it. In particular, they will test the bow shock hypothesis by observing carefully selected molecular and atomic lines that probe the ionized and molecular gas. These observations will be obtained from observations at observatories in the U.S., Spain and Germany. This project is an important extension of the ongoing research of Dr. Churchwell that would not be possible without collaboration. Dr. Walmsley is an acknowledged expert on the interstellar medium in general and particularly on the computation and interpretation of the physical conditions in interstellar molecular and ionized gas clouds. These areas are particularly important to their joint research. He also provides convenient access to the 100 m telescope operated by the MPI in Germany and brings expertise in using the specialized instruments. He will also collaborate closely in developing detailed models of the molecular gas. Dr. Churchwell offers expertise in VLA measurements and will use interferometric instruments like the VLA in New Mexico to make observations in the US to study these objects with high spatial resolution. Massive stars are formed in dense condensations of molecular gas inside of giant molecular clouds. They play a crucial role in the energetics of galaxies and the interstellar medium, but their formation and early evolution are poorly understood. This project will contribute new insights into the formation of such massive stars by obtaining detailed physical parameters and spatial distribution of the surrounding hot gas.