Characterizing magnetized turbulence in molecular clouds and galaxies

星系是如何形成的？行星是如何形成的？我们从哪里来？我们真的是由星尘组成的吗？虽然这些问题涉及的主题大不相同(即银河系、行星、人类和微观尺度)，但它们都通过两个共同的主题联系在一起：起源和恒星。 然而，恒星本身的起源可以说是构成这些和其他基本天体物理问题的唯一最重要的话题。当恒星形成时，他们获得的特征将决定他们将如何生活，影响他们的银河系邻居，并最终死亡。理解恒星形成的不同过程和阶段的问题，对于更好、更广泛地了解银河系和整个宇宙的运行情况是至关重要的。 这项研究计划提出通过研究银河系内的分子云来解决恒星形成的问题。这些尘埃和气体的聚集体不仅是恒星的诞生地，也是我们银河系的主要组成部分之一。由于分子云在跨越恒星生命的时间线中的基本位置，对分子云的研究也是对恒星形成的研究。该计划将集中研究两种已知存在于这些结构中并参与恒星形成过程的动因和现象：星际磁场和气体湍流。 这项研究计划还将重点研究星系中磁化湍流的总体特征。这将有助于我们通过观测确定诸如星系内注入能量的尺度等基本参数来更好地了解它们的动力学和演化。 因此，该计划将在短短几年内提供丰富的新数据，这些数据将显著提高我们对恒星形成过程的许多方面以及星系中磁化湍流的性质的理解。

How do galaxies form? How do planets form? Where do we come form? Are we really made of stardust? Although these questions deal with subjects of vastly different scales (i.e., the galactic, planetary, human, and microscopic scales), they are all linked together through two common themes: origins and stars. The origin of the stars themselves, however, is arguably the single most important topic that underlies these and other fundamental astrophysical questions. As stars form they acquire the characteristics that will determine how they will live their life, affect their galactic neighbourhood, and ultimately die. The problem of understanding the different processes and phases of star formation is central to obtaining a better and bigger picture of the working of the Galaxy and the Universe as a whole. This research program proposes to attack the problem of star formation by studying molecular clouds within our Galaxy. These aggregates of dust and gas are not only the birthplace of stars, but also constitute one the main components of our Galaxy. Because of their fundamental position in the time line that spans the life of stars, a study of molecular clouds is also a study of star formation. The program will concentrate on two of the agents and phenomena that are known to inhabit these structures and participate in the star formation process: the interstellar magnetic field and gas turbulence. This research program will also focus on the characterization of magnetized turbulence in galaxies in general. This will help us better understand their dynamics and evolution by observationally determining such fundamental parameters as the scale at which energy is injected within a galaxy. As a result, this program will within only a few years provide a wealth of new data that will significantly improve our understanding of many aspects of the star formation process and the nature of magnetized turbulence in galaxies.