Drs. Leslie W. Looney and Telemachos Ch. Mouschovias (University of Chicago Urbana-Champaign, UIUC) will fuse a state-of-the-art observational survey and cutting-edge theoretical models to better constrain the theoretical parameters of star formation. They will address directly the main controversy in modern star formation as to which is the dominant mechanism that initiates low-mass star formation, magnetic (ambipolar) diffusion or compressible turbulence. To this end, they will combine the theory of core formation and collapse with the latest observational data. The result will provide direct and unique tests of our theoretical understanding of star formation.
To understand the process of star formation is to essentially understand ourselves and our place in the Universe. However, the details of the star formation process remain elusive, despite being studied both theoretically and observationally for many decades. The research goals in this project will broadly impact the field of astronomy, as well as promote a closer and more fruitful collaboration between two strong groups, observational and theoretical, working on star formation at the University of Illinois. The development of a robust theory of star formation, that will not only be in agreement with existing observations but will also have predictive power, is critical for the interpretation of observations of other galaxies and for furthering our understanding of galaxy formation and evolution. Furthermore, this synergy will alight ongoing scientific research, discovery, and excitement into the teaching of science at both the undergraduate and graduate levels at UIUC. This research will help train and educate the next generation of students in both good astronomical observational techniques and solid theoretical calculations and applications. In addition, a database of the survey and theoretical models will be generated that will be released to the community. This information will be in easily accessible form and will allow other groups to compare their own work more directly with the sample generated by this research.
