Collaborative Research: The Magellanic Clouds as a Laboratory for Star Formation at Low Metallicity

合作研究：麦哲伦星云作为低金属丰度恒星形成的实验室

• 批准号: 2009849
• 负责人: Tony Wong
• 金额: $ 31.53万
• 依托单位: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2020-08-15 至 2024-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2009849&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Magellanic; Clouds; Laboratory

These astronomers seek to understand what causes clouds of gas in space to collapse to form stars. The immediate cause is the force of gravity, but why gravity acts quickly on some clouds and slowly in others remains a puzzle. The investigators have a plan to solve this puzzle by using detailed observations of gas clouds located in two nearby satellite galaxies, the Magellanic Clouds. The observations, taken with NSF’s Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array’s (ALMA) observatory, will have the quality and detail needed to measure the properties of the gas. The investigators will compare measurements of the stellar environment with the locations and ages of young stars. The investigators are from three different universities, and each will contribute to training of next generation scientists. The students will get hands-on experience in the techniques of scientific data analysis and instrumentation. The team will develop of new virtual reality tools for improving the public understanding of science.With the ALMA’s unprecedented sensitivity and access to the southern sky, astronomers are beginning to resolve the clumpy, filamentary structure of molecular clouds in the Magellanic Clouds. Analysis has shown that the velocity dispersion of the molecular gas at a given scale increases with the overall star formation activity of the cloud, suggesting that energetic feedback from young stars plays a significant role in maintaining turbulent motions within the cloud. However, other lines of evidence, including our finding that clumps and filaments are typically marginally unstable to collapse, support the view that increased velocity dispersion and star formation can both be driven by gravitational instability. The investigators plan observations to reveal the conditions for star formation. They will use a broad, survey-based, approach which can identify regions deficient in one of the key ingredients (e.g., young stars or dense gas) and thus more accurately distinguish cause and effect. Combining ALMA imaging of the molecular gas on sub-parsec scales with infrared surveys of the young stellar populations in these galaxies will provide new insights into the roles of triggering, feedback, and cloud conditions in the star formation process.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

这些天文学家试图了解是什么导致太空中的气体塌陷形成恒星。直接的原因是重力的力量，但是为什么重力在某些云层上迅速起作用，而在另一些云层上则是一个难题。研究人员有一个计划通过使用位于两个卫星星系（Magellanic Clouds）的气体云的详细观察结果来解决这一难题。使用NSF的Atacama大毫米/亚毫米阵列（ALMA）观察进行的观察结果将具有测量气体特性所需的质量和细节。研究人员将将恒星环境的测量结果与年轻恒星的位置和年龄进行比较。研究人员来自三所不同的大学，每所大学都会有助于对下一代科学家的培训。学生将获得科学数据分析和仪器技术方面的动手经验。该团队将开发新的虚拟现实工具，以提高公众对科学的理解。阿尔玛的前所未有的敏感性和进入南方天空的机会，天文学家开始解决麦哲伦云中分子云的结块，丝状结构。分析表明，分子气体在给定规模上的速度分散体随云的整体恒星形成活性而增加，这表明来自年轻恒星的能量反馈在维持云中的湍流运动中起着重要作用。但是，其他证据，包括我们发现夹具和细丝通常不稳定的发现，这支持了以下观点：增加速度分散和恒星形成都可以由引力不稳定驱动。研究人员计划观察以揭示恒星形成的条件。他们将使用一种广泛的，基于调查的方法，可以识别缺乏关键成分（例如年轻恒星或密集气体）的区域，从而更准确地区分原因和作用。 Combining ALMA imaging of the molecular gas on sub-parsec scales with infrared surveys of the young stellar populations in these galaxies will provide new insights into the roles of triggering, feedback, and cloud conditions in the star formation process.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed precious of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

项目成果

An Unbiased CO Survey Toward the Northern Region of the Small Magellanic Cloud with the Atacama Compact Array. II. CO Cloud Catalog

利用阿塔卡马致密阵列对小麦哲伦星云北部地区进行的无偏 CO 勘测。

• DOI: 10.3847/1538-4357/accadb
• 发表时间: 2023
• 期刊: The Astrophysical Journal
• 作者: Ohno, Takahiro;Tokuda, Kazuki;Konishi, Ayu;Matsumoto, Takeru;Sewiło, Marta;Kondo, Hiroshi;Sano, Hidetoshi;Tsuge, Kisetsu;Zahorecz, Sarolta;Goto, Nao
• 通讯作者: Goto, Nao

The 30 Doradus Molecular Cloud at 0.4 pc Resolution with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array: Physical Properties and the Boundedness of CO-emitting Structures

阿塔卡马大型毫米/亚毫米阵列的 0.4 pc 分辨率的 30 Doradus 分子云：物理性质和共发射结构的有界性

• DOI: 10.3847/1538-4357/ac723a
• 发表时间: 2022
• 期刊: The Astrophysical Journal
• 作者: Wong, Tony;Oudshoorn, Luuk;Sofovich, Eliyahu;Green, Alex;Shah, Charmi;Indebetouw, Rémy;Meixner, Margaret;Hacar, Alvaro;Nayak, Omnarayani;Tokuda, Kazuki
• 通讯作者: Tokuda, Kazuki

Data for: The 30 Doradus Molecular Cloud at 0.4 pc Resolution with ALMA: Physical Properties and the Boundedness of CO-emitting Structures

数据：使用 ALMA 实现 0.4 pc 分辨率的 30 Doradus 分子云：物理性质和共发射结构的有界性

• DOI: 10.13012/b2idb-1671495_v1
• 发表时间: 2022
• 期刊: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
• 作者: Wong, Tony;Oudshoorn, Luuk;Sofovich, Eliyahu;Green, Alex;Shah, Charmi;Indebetouw, Remy;Meixner, Margaret;Hacar, Alvaro;Nayak, Omnarayani;Tokuda, Kazuki
• 通讯作者: Tokuda, Kazuki

Massive Star Formation in the Tarantula Nebula

• DOI: 10.3847/1538-4357/acac8b
• 发表时间: 2023-02
• 期刊: The Astrophysical Journal
• 作者: O. Nayak;Alex Green;A. Hirschauer;R. Indebetouw;M. Meixner;T. Wong;M. Chevance;G. de Marchi;V. Lebouteiller;Min-Young Lee;L. Looney;S. Madden;J. Roman-Duval;Y. Fukui;Á. Hacar;K. Jameson;V. Kalari;L. Oudshoorn;M. Rubio;E. Sabbi

Effects of CO-dark Gas on Measurements of Molecular Cloud Stability and the Size–Linewidth Relationship

• DOI: 10.3847/1538-4357/ac745f
• 发表时间: 2022-05
• 期刊: The Astrophysical Journal
• 作者: T. O’Neill;R. Indebetouw;A. Bolatto;S. Madden;T. Wong