Exploring Large-Scale Star-Forming Structures in the Milky Way

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This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).Dr. Matthew Povich is awarded an NSF Astronomy and Astrophysics Postdoctoral Fellowship to carry out a program of research and education at Pennsylvania State University. Dr. Povich will investigate star formation on 100 pc size scales in the Milky Way. In particular, the PI will identify and model the properties of individual young stellar objects (YSOs) distributed throughout giant molecular cloud complexes associated with prominent Galactic ionized hydrogen (H II) regions. This work is made possible by the unprecedented, high-resolution coverage of Galactic massive star formation regions and their extended environments that is provided by the infrared (IR) Galactic-plane legacy surveys performed using the Spitzer Space Telescope. The research goals require multi-wavelength observations, including ground-based optical, near-IR, and mm-wave facilities, plus data on H II regions from the Chandra X-ray Observatory. This research will lead to a new determination of the Galactic star formation rate (SFR). While all previous SFR determinations in the Milky Way and other galaxies rely upon indirect observational tracers of massive stars, the PI will calibrate H II region tracers (far-IR and radio continuum luminosity) against SFR measured from the direct detection of individual stars and YSOs. While most detailed studies of Galactic H II regions include only the central regions of the ionizing clusters, the PI will characterize distributed star formation throughout large molecular clouds outside of H II regions. By holistically exploring entire molecular cloud complexes, including associated H II regions, the PI will address two persistent questions: (1) what fraction of star formation occurs outside of massive clusters? and (2) how does star formation propagate through molecular clouds?Dr. Povich will also conduct research into improving the teaching of introductory astronomy courses for non-science majors. The PI will work to develop a learner-centered curriculum that incorporates real observational data from large surveys like the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and the Galactic Legacy Infrared Mid-Plane Survey Extraordinaire (GLIMPSE). In addition, the PI will participate in established public outreach programs at Penn State with the goal to bring astronomy to rural populations.