Related papers: A stochastic and analytical model of hierarchical …
The Taurus molecular cloud complex is the paradigm for quiescent, low-density, isolated star formation. Yet the age distribution of its stellar population indicates that star formation is a rapid and dynamic process, inconsistent with the…
If star formation proceeds by thermal fragmentation and the subsequent gravitational collapse of the individual fragments, how is it possible to form fragments massive enough for O and B stars in a typical star-forming molecular cloud where…
Context. Simulating stellar dynamics in a molecular cloud environment is numerically challenging due to the strong coupling between young stars and their surrounding gas, and the large range of length and time scales. Aims. This paper is…
Context. The origin of the large star-to-star variation of the [Eu/Fe] ratios observed in the extremely metal-poor (at [Fe/H]$\leq-3$) stars of the Galactic halo is still a matter of debate.\\ Aims. In this paper, we explore this problem by…
The formation of galactic discs and the efficiency of star formation within them are issues central to our understanding of galaxy formation. We have developed a detailed and versatile model of disc formation which combines the strengths of…
We explore the self-enrichment hypothesis for globular cluster formation with respect to the star formation aspect. Following this scenario, the massive stars of a first stellar generation chemically enrich the globular progenitor cloud up…
Stars form as molecular clouds fragment into networks of dense cores, filaments, and subclusters. The characteristic spacing of these cores is a key observable imprint of fragmentation physics and is commonly measured using…
Observations of the spatial distributions of young stars in star-forming regions can be linked to the theory of clustered star formation using spatial statistical methods. The MYStIX project provides rich samples of young stars from the…
The formation of stars is inextricably linked to the structure of their parental molecular clouds. Here we take a number of nearby giant molecular clouds (GMCs) and analyse their column density and mass distributions. This investigation is…
We develop an analytic framework to understand fragmentation in turbulent, self-gravitating media. Previously, we showed some properties of turbulence can be predicted with the excursion-set formalism. Here, we generalize to fully…
If the favored hierarchical cosmological model is correct, then the Milky Way system should have accreted and subsequently tidally destroyed ~100 low-mass galaxies in the past ~12 Gyr. We model this process using a hybrid semi-analytic plus…
Massive stars influence their surroundings through radiation, winds, and supernova explosions far out of proportion to their small numbers. However, the physical processes that initiate and govern the birth of massive stars remain poorly…
The star formation triggered in dense walls of expanding shells will be discussed. The fragmentation process is studied using the linear and non-linear perturbation theory. The influence of the energy input, the ISM distribution and the…
Recent surveys of dust continuum emission at sub-mm wavelengths have shown that filamentary molecular clouds are ubiquitous along the Galactic plane. These structures are inhomogeneous, with over-densities that are sometimes associated with…
The stellar mass spectrum is an important property of the stellar cluster and a fundamental quantity to understand our Universe. The fragmentation of diffuse molecular cloud into stars is subject to physical processes such as gravity,…
We review recent high spatial resolution millimeter continuum and spectral line observations of (proto-)cluster regions. These observations reveal that the mass distribution of prestellar cores is consistent with the initial mass function…
The possibility that the Galactic spheroid was assembled from numerous chemically-distinct, proto-Galactic fragments is investigated using a Monte-Carlo technique designed to simulate the chemical evolution of the Galaxy in hierarchical…
Aims: Understanding the fragmentation and collapse properties of the dense gas during the onset of high-mass star formation. Methods: We observed the massive (~800M_sun) starless gas clump IRDC18310-4 with the Plateau de Bure Interferometer…
We investigate the formation of brown dwarfs and very low-mass stars through the gravitational fragmentation of infalling gas into stellar clusters. The gravitational potential of a forming stellar cluster provides the focus that attracts…
The nearest young stellar groups are associated with "hubs" of column density exceeding 10^22 cm^-2, according to recent observations. These hubs radiate multiple "filaments" of parsec length, having lower column density and fewer stars.…