Star Formation

Prof. Sara Beck

This course covers the basic physics of star formation and an overview of the current state of research. It is intended to prepare first or second year graduate students to enter into research in the field.

The grade is based on exercises (40%) and the final exam (60%).

Syllabus:

• Background, Motivation, and the Burning Questions
• Review of rates, masses, IMF, disks, outflows, clusters.
• Sites of star formation. Intro to molecular clouds and how to observe them.
• Molecular clouds, how they collapse and how they can be supported. Lifetimes, collapse timescales, support mechanisms
• Cloud fragmentation and what determines stellar sizes. Hayashi tracks.
• Stellar ignition, D and H burning. Stars igniting inside molecular clouds and the developement of HII regions. More observational challenges. Radiation and shock fronts, effects on clouds.
• Formation of proto-stars, proto-star/disk systems. Class 0--3 objects.
• Disks and protoplanetary systems.
• Differences between Low and High Mass Protostars
• Multiple stars: formation and early stages of life in binaries, associations, and bound clusters
• Galaxy-scale phenomena: rings, arms, starbursts

Reading (will be updated throughout course):

• A useful reference on molecular spectra
• 27/10:NOTES ON MOLECULAR LINES AND RADIATIVE TRANSFER
• The Ultimate Spectroscopy Data Base
• Magnetic Fields, Diffusion, and Protostellar Collapse
• W49--the state of the art in observations of Star Formation
• A classic review of Bipolar Outflows
• The most recent review of the outflow phenomenon--important!
• Fundamental Reference on Star Formation and Radio Emission from Galaxies