Star Formation and ISM Dynamics in the disk of the Milky Way (B01)

• Subject Area: Astrophysics and Astronomy
• Term: from 2011 to 2022
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 138713538

How does the interstellar medium (ISM) evolve in the Milky Way, and how does atomic gas convert into molecular clouds? How do global dynamics influence the ISM, and what drives the formation of filaments on all spatial scales? We will address these questions from a theoretical as well as observational perspective. Using the moving-mesh code Arepo, we will perform global simulations of the Galactic ISM including time-dependent chemistry as well as all forms of stellar feedback. On the observational side, we will combine atomic and molecular gas data to study the formation of large-scale molecular clouds and the transformation of the atomic to the molecular phase.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres
• Subproject of: SFB 881: The Milky Way System
• Applicant Institution: Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg
• Project Heads: Professor Dr. Henrik Beuther, since 1/2015; Professor Dr. Ralf Klessen, Ph.D.; Professor Dr. Volker Springel, until 12/2018; Professor Dr. Rainer Spurzem, until 12/2014