2026 Project Description

Determining the Mass Reservoir of Forming Stars

Supervisors

Hsi-Wei Yen
Find out more about supervisors on ASIAA website

Task Description and Goals

Understanding star formation efficiency—how much of a molecular cloud ultimately becomes a star—is a fundamental question in astrophysics. It directly affects how stars, planets, and galaxies form and evolve. In this summer research project, students will investigate how efficiently a protostar gains mass from its surrounding environment during the star formation process.

The project focuses on identifying the mass reservoir that can potentially accrete onto a forming star. We will use high-resolution ALMA observations to measure the central stellar mass, and combine these data with large-scale single-dish observations to construct the density distribution of the surrounding protostellar envelope. From this density structure, we will derive the gravitational field and compare it with the kinetic energy inferred from velocity fields traced by molecular line data from single-dish telescopes. This comparison allows us to identify regions that are gravitationally bound and therefore capable of feeding the protostar, providing a direct way to assess how much mass is available for accretion.

With these measurements, we can quantitatively evaluate the mass reservoir and discuss the resulting star formation efficiency. This project is ideal for undergraduates interested in star formation, observational astronomy, and data analysis, and offers hands-on experience working with real astronomical data from world-class facilities.

Required Background

Basic knowledge of Physics. Experience in Linux/Unix systems and programming is desirable but not required.