Location: Middle conference room, 3rd floor

Time: 4:00 pm, May 4th, 2018

Speaker: Prof. Gary Fuller (University of Manchester, UK)

Title: From Dark to Light: The Evolution from Molecular Clouds to Massive Protostars & Clusters

Abstract:

Stars are the fundamental building blocks of the Universe and most stars in our Galaxy form in clusters, some of which also produce high mass stars. Although relatively rare,from their birth to their ultimate death as supernovae, these high mass stars dominate the chemical and mechanical evolution of the interstellar medium of galaxies. Despite their importance for understanding phenomena ranging from the dispersal of molecular clouds to the origin of gamma ray bursts and blackholes, the formation and early evolution of these massive stars are poorly understood. Key issues include understanding how gas accumulates into highly condensed clumps, the precursors to clusters, and how these then fragment in to cores, the precursors of individual stars, as well as how massive protostars evolve. Studies of regions which are not yet dominated by star formation and effects of stellar feedback are essential for understanding these processes. In this seminar I will discuss our recent work on such regions selected from the Spitzer Dark Cloud catalogue and the insights they provide into how clusters and massive stars form.