Collaborative Research: The End of Star Formation: Gauging the Impact of Feedback on Dense Gas

在整个可见宇宙中，数十亿颗恒星描绘着整个星系的结构。研究人员的目标是改进星星形成过程的模型。致密的气体核心是星际气体云的一部分，是单个恒星或一小群恒星的诞生地。然而，岩心经常被观察到受到外部压力和自身重力的弱约束。形成星星的云很容易受到周围环境的影响。研究人员将观察并模拟发现核心的环境范围，并描述这些环境和形成核心的星星的特征。此外，该计划还将支持AstroTROUP计划，在学年期间为STEM代表性不足的少数民族天文学专业学生提供有偿研究经验，并聘请同行导师帮助他们的课程。该计划将支持一系列项目，使用现有的区域图像以系统的方式分析当地分子云环境。首先，基于概率密度函数和功率谱的分析来约束气体结构和湍流条件。其次，研究人员将创建一个由磁流体动力学模拟结果产生的反馈影响分子气体的合成红外观测数据库。 他们将使用这个库来训练机器学习算法，以系统地绘制反馈影响。最后，研究人员计划对堆芯特性进行综合分析，分析结果来自研究人员的“云-堆芯遗留调查”，是气体特性和反馈条件的函数。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Stars by the billions trace the structures of entire galaxies throughout the visible universe. The investigators aim to improve models of the star formation process. Dense gas cores are the parts of interstellar gas clouds that are the birth sites of individual stars, or small groups of them. However, cores are often observed to be weakly bound by external pressure and their own gravity. Star forming clouds are very vulnerable to external influences from their surroundings. The investigators will observe and model the range of environments where cores are found, and they will characterize those environments and the star forming cores. In addition, this program will support the AstroTROUP initiative to provide paid research experiences during the academic year to STEM-underrepresented minority student majors in Astronomy, as well as to hire peer tutors for help in their coursework.This program will support a series of projects to analyze local molecular cloud environments in systematic ways using already available images of the regions. First, gas structure and turbulent conditions will be constrained based on analysis of the probability density functions and power spectra. Second, the investigators will create a library of synthetic infrared observations of feedback-influenced molecular gas from magnetohydrodynamic simulation results. They will use this library to train a machine learning algorithm to systematically map out feedback influences. Finally, the investigators plan to perform a comprehensive analysis of core properties, derived from the investigator’s Clouds to Cores Legacy Survey as a function of gas properties and feedback conditions.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.