Dynamics and Chemistry of Star Formation in Magnetic Clouds

建议ID：AST-0307368机构：维吉尼亚大学：李，志云磁场可以从根本上改变恒星形成的性质。磁场在恒星形成中的潜在关键作用早已被认识到，但由于直接测量磁场强度的困难，仍然很难确定。对于分子云的致密核心来说尤其如此，这些核心是恒星形成的中心。在弗吉尼亚大学工作的李博士将开展一个研究项目，以阐明磁场在单星和恒星系统形成中的作用。对于单星，他将开发一个将动力学和化学相结合的孤立磁化云核的模型。对于恒星系统，他将把现有的由双极扩散驱动的磁云演化的轴对称计算扩展到非轴对称情况。这些非轴对称的计算将使我们能够详细研究磁场在星云碎裂中的作用，这是恒星系统形成问题的核心。李博士的项目产生了更广泛的影响，包括培养弗吉尼亚大学的一名研究生，以及专门研究动力学模拟和天体化学的研究人员之间的密切合作。该项目的成功完成将使人们更好地理解明星的诞生，这是一个吸引公众想象力的话题。李博士将把他的研究成果融入本科课程和公开演讲中。

Proposal ID: AST-0307368Institution: University of VirginiaPI: Li, Zhi-YunMagnetic fields can change the character of star formation fundamentally. The potentially critical role of magnetic fields in star formation has long been recognized, but remains hard to ascertain, because of the difficulty in directly measuring the field strength. This is particularly true for the dense cores of molecular clouds, which are the centers of star formation. Working at the University of Virginia, Dr. Li will carry out a program of research to elucidate the role of magnetic fields in the formation of both single stars and stellar systems. For single stars, he will develop a model for isolated magnetized cloud cores that couples dynamics and chemistry. For stellar systems, he will extend the existing axisymmetric calculations of magnetic cloud evolution driven by ambipolar diffusion to non-axisymmetric cases. These non-axisymmetric calculations will enable a detailed investigation into the role of magnetic fields in cloud fragmentation, which lies at the heart of the problem of stellar system formation. The broader impacts of Dr. Li's program are the training of a graduate student at the University of Virginia and close collaboration between researchers specializing in dynamical simulations and astrochemistry. Successful completion of the program will lead to a better understanding of the birth of stars, a topic that captures the public imagination. Dr. Li will integrate his research results into undergraduate courses and public presentations.