Quid Ultra? Frontiers and controversies in Astrophysics: Star formation through space and time

by Ralf Klessen (Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics, University of Heidelberg)

Tuesday 28 Sept 2021, 16:30 → 17:30 Europe/Rome

Aula Conversi (Dip. di Fisica - Edificio G. Marconi)

Stars and star clusters are the fundamental visible building blocks of galaxies at present days as well as in the early universe. They form by gravitational collapse in regions of high density in the complex multi-phase interstellar medium. The process of stellar birth is controlled by the intricate interplay between the self-gravity of the star-forming gas and various opposing agents, such as supersonic turbulence, magnetic fields, radiative feedback, gas pressure, and cosmic rays. Turbulence plays a dual role. On global scales it provides support, while at the same time it can promote local collapse. This process is modified by the thermodynamic response of the gas, which is determined by the balance between various heating and cooling processes, which in turn depend on the chemical composition of the material. In this talk I will try to give an overview of the our understanding of the star-formation process, discuss some examples of the recent progress in the field, and speculate about the implications for stellar birth in the high-redshift universe.