Past Events

Abstract

Stars with masses greater than 8 times that of the Sun are key drivers of the structure of the interstellar medium in the Milky Way and other galaxies. Yet, despite their importance in a wide range of astrophysical phenomena, ranging from the chemical and physical evolution of galaxies to the origin of gamma ray bursts, how massive stars form is poorly understood, both observationally and theoretically.

In this seminar, I will describe how three recent surveys with which I have been involved are contributing to understanding the formation of massive stars. The results of our ALMA Cycle 0 observations of one particularly interesting source identified in these surveys, and their implications for models of massive star formation, will also be discussed.

Coffee and tea will be served 20 minutes prior to the seminar.