Project Description: Infrared dark clouds (IRDCs) represent the earliest, coldest phase of massive star-forming molecular clouds and provide a critical laboratory for understanding how star formation begins. While galaxy-scale studies have established empirical relationships between molecular gas and star formation, the physical processes that convert diffuse gas into the dense cores that ultimately form stars remain poorly constrained. In this project, we will investigate how dense cores emerge within IRDCs by combining molecular line and continuum observations to measure the efficiency with which gas is converted into gravitationally bound structures. By analyzing variations in core formation efficiency as a function of local gas surface density, we aim to identify the key physical drivers that regulate the earliest stages of star formation. This work helps bridge the gap between small-scale star formation physics in the Milky Way and large-scale star formation relations observed in galaxies.
NASA Relevance: This internship aligns with NASA Science Mission Directorate (SMD) priorities by advancing our understanding of star formation and the interstellar medium, key themes in NASA's Astrophysics Division, while training students to analyze observational datasets and techniques directly relevant to current and future missions such as JWST, which probe the cold gas and early stages of star formation across the universe.
Work Description:
1. Data preparation and visualization: Work with ALMA and Herschel data to generate maps of dust emission and molecular line intensity. Learn to use Python tools to visualize filamentary structure and dense regions within IRDCs.
2. Estimating core and gas masses: Convert observed continuum and line emission into physical quantities using standard assumptions. Compare dense core mass to total gas mass to estimate core formation efficiency.
3. Kinematic analysis of molecular gas: Analyze spectral line data to measure velocity dispersion and identify gas motions within the cloud. Explore how gas dynamics relate to core formation sites.
4. Statistical comparison across regions: Compare different subregions of the IRDC to investigate how environmental conditions affect dense core formation.
5. Scientific communication: Prepare figures and short summaries of results, culminating in a poster or presentation at a meeting. Contribute to a written report or potential publication.
Open or Reserved Project: Open, 1 position.