Place: 6515 Sterling Hall (coffee at 3:30 pm in 6521 Sterling)
Speaker: Jason Harris University of AZ - Steward Observatory
Abstract: Two of the greatest triumphs of late twentieth-century astrophysics were the understanding of large-scale structure formation (through hierarchical collapse in a universe dominated by cold dark matter), and an exquisite, quantitative understanding of stellar evolution. Usually regarded as completely separate fields, they are nevertheless connected by the physics which govern star formation in galaxies. If CDM simulations are to reproduce the galaxy populations as we observe them in the universe, then we will need to develop a robust, quantitative theory of the physical processes which govern star formation on galactic scales. Likewise, while we now have a comprehensive understanding of the evolution of stellar populations, our ideas are much less detailed when it comes to protostellar populations, the agents that trigger star formation, and the feedback processes that may sustain or quench it. I will present some of my ongoing work in stellar archaeology that is addressing the need for a quantitative star formation theory, through detailed explorations of the stellar and protostellar populations in nearby galaxies.