RUI: Evaluating the Interaction Between Outflow and Dense Core Toward Forming Sun-Like Stars

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

AST 0307530PI LaddThough it is abundantly clear that stars must form from the aggregation of diffuse interstellar material, how this process occurs, and specifically which mechanisms play a dominant role in the evolution, are still poorly understood. Forming stars do not accrete all of the material available to them, but instead reject some fraction of their surrounding dense cores during the formation process. While the rejection process is not well understood, it is suspected that jets and bipolar outflows from the forming star play a major role. This research program is endeavoring to understand the complicated interplay between gravitational infall and material ejection during the critical phase when the mass of a forming star is determined. Millimeter wavelength interferometers will be used in a campaign to image the core-outflow interaction region, and to evaluate the extent to which the outflow impacts the dense core. Broader Impact. The educational impacts of this program occur within a predominantly undergraduate environment. This project will create an active research environment with opportunities for undergraduate participation.