LEARNING OUTCOMES
You will know the chemical and physical composition of the interstellar medium (ISM), in both its gas and dust components. You will understand the principles that determine the physical state of the ISM and the general stability of interstellar clouds. You will learn the main steps of the star-formation process, starting with molecular cloud cores and ending up in the formation of protostars. You will understand how the process is affected by the physical conditions within the interstellar clouds and how each stage of the process can be investigated with observations at optical, infrared, and radio wavelengths.
CONTENT
The course covers the properties and physical processes in the interstellar medium (ISM), especially in connection with star formation. The course starts with a general description of the structure, evolution, and properties of the ISM, with an emphasis on dense molecular clouds. We will then study the interplay of gravity, turbulence, and magnetic fields that leads to the formation of dense cores within the molecular clouds and, as a result of their collapse, to the formation of new stars. The gravitational and thermal balance and the chemical evolution of the ISM along the star-formation process will also be examined. The course ends with a discussion of the observable properties of young stellar objects.
