18.07.17 16:15

The galactic baryon cycle: A detailed view of cold gas and star formation in local galaxies

Frank Bigiel (Heidelberg)

Star formation is a complex, multi-scale process in the evolution of galaxies, shaping their properties through cosmic time. Our group focuses on studies of the star-forming, dense, interstellar medium (ISM) across local galaxies, which provide ideal objects to study how star formation depends on both local physical and global properties of galaxies.


I will present several observing campaigns with new facilities, like the ALMA millimetre-wave array in Chile, that allow us to access the physical conditions and structure (density, turbulence, self-gravity) of the molecular ISM on scales of individual star-forming complexes. The ability to make such small-scale measurements in external galaxies has only recently emerged and promises key insights on how galaxies regulate their star formation activity.

Kategorie: Kolloquium