<p>The gravitational collapse of a giant molecular cloud produces localized dense regions, called clumps, within which low-mass star formation is believed to occur. Recent studies have shown that limitations of current observing techniques make it difficult to correctly identify and measure properties of these clumps that reflect the true nature of the star-forming regions. In order to make a direct comparison with observations, we produced synthetic column density maps and a spectral-line cube from the simulated collapse of a large 5000 solar mass molecular cloud. The synthetic observations provide us with the means to study the formation of star-forming clumps and cores in our simulation using methods typically used by observers. Since we also have the full 3D simulation, we are able to provide a direct comparison of `observed' and `real' star-forming objects, highlighting any discrepancies in their physical properties, including the fraction of cores which are gravitationally bound. We have accomplished this by studying the global properties of the star-forming objects, in addition to performing a direct correlation of individual objects to determine the error in the observed mass estimates. By correlating the clumps found in the simulation to those found in the synthetic observations, we find that the properties of objects derived from the spectral-line data cube were more representative of the true physical properties of the clumps, due to effects of projection greatly impacting the estimates of clump properties derived from two-dimensional column density maps.</p> / Master of Science (MSc)

<p>A deep, wide-field survey was conducted to hunt for the light echo systems associated with SN 1054 (Crab) and SN 1181 as an initial step to acquiring spectra and the prospect of extracting lightcurves of these historical, core-collapse supernovae. Images were acquired by the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope’s MegaCam during the 2011A and 2011B semesters for fields adjacent to SN 1054 and SN 1181, respectively. A total of 367 Sloan g’ fields for the Crab and 195 Sloan r’ fields for SN 1181 were imaged twice, with a minimum of one month separation.</p> <p>Examination of 13,880 and 11,052 difference images for the Crab and SN 1181, respectively, revealed no light echoes with surface brightnesses brighter than 24.0 mag/arcsec² (the threshold for being able to acquire useful spectra). Based on our non-detections and assuming similar dust properties to nearby (detected) supernova light echo systems (Tycho and Cas A), we conclude it is unlikely that either SN was a Type II-L outburst but cannot provide constraints on other sub-types.</p> <p>We further examined the known light echo locations for Tycho and Cas A and found a statistically-significant correlation between CO brightness temperature and the presence of scattering dust. However, the spacing of grid points in existing CO surveys is too sparse to be useful even a few degrees away from the galactic plane. We have yet to identify a search strategy based on survey data which is superior than random field placement.</p> / Master of Science (MSc)

This dissertation is a study of the physical conditions in star-forming regions, and combines observational data and theoretical calculations. We studied the physical conditions of Orions Veil, which is an absorbing screen that lies along the line of sight to the Orion H II region. We computed photoionization models of the Veil. We combined calculations with UV, radio, and optical spectra that resolve the Veil into two velocity components. We derive many physical parameters for each component seen in 21 cm absorption. We find the magnetic field energy dominates turbulent and thermal energies in one component while the other component is close to equipartition between turbulent and magnetic energies. We observe H2 absorption for highly excited levels. We find that the low ratio of H2/H0 in the Veil is due to the high UV flux incident upon the Veil. We detect blueshifted S+2 and P+2 ions which must arise from ionized gas between the neutral portions of the Veil and the Trapezium and shields the Veil from ionizing radiation. We determine the ionized and neutral layers of the Veil will collide in less than 85,000 years. The second part of this dissertation involved self-consistently calculating the thermal and chemical structure of an H II region and photodissociation region (PDR) that are in pressure equilibrium. This differs from previous work, which used separate calculations for each gas phase. Our calculations span a wide range of initial conditions. We describe improvements made to the spectral synthesis code Cloudy which made these calculations possible. These include the addition of a molecular network with ~1000 reactions involving 68 molecules and improved treatment of the grain physics. Archival data are used to derive important physical characteristics of observed H II regions and PDRs. These include stellar temperatures, electron densities, ionization parameters, UV flux, and PDR density. The contribution of the H II region to PDR emission line diagnostics is also calculated. Finally, these calculations are used to derive emission line ratios than can tell us the equation of state in star-forming regions.

Massive stars play a key role in the evolution of the Galaxy; hence they are important objects of study in astrophysics. Although they are rare compared to low mass stars, they are the principal source of heavy elements and UV radiation, affecting the process of formation of stars and planets, and the physical, chemical, and morphological structure of galaxies. Star clusters form in dense "clumps" (~few parsecs in size) within giant molecular clouds, while individual stars form in cores (subparsec scale). An important step in the observational study of massive star formation is the identification and characterization of clumps. More detailed studies can then show how these clumps fragment into cores. Studies of clumps in our Galaxy will provide fundamental guidelines for the analysis of other galaxies, where individual clumps and cores cannot be resolved, and provide a catalog of interesting sources for observations of the Milky Way with a new generation of instruments, such as the Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array. Large-scale blind surveys of the Galactic plane at millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths have recently been completed, allowing us to identify star forming clumps and improve our understanding of the early stages of massive stars. One of these studies, the Bolocam Galactic Plane Survey (BGPS), mapped the continuum emission at 1.1 mm over a large region of the northern Galactic plane at a resolution of 33'', identifying 8559 compact sources throughout the Galaxy. In this dissertation, I present observations of a sample of sources from the BGPS catalog, obtained with the Submillimeter High Angular Resolution Camera II (SHARC-II). I present in this work 107 continuum emission maps at 350 microns at high angular resolution (8.5'') toward clump-like sources and construct a catalog of BGPS substructures. I estimate clump properties such as temperatures and multiplicity of substructures, and compare my results with 350 microns continuum maps from the Hi-GAL survey. I also present a detailed analysis, using molecular line and dust continuum observations, of the region G331.5-0.1, one of the most luminous regions of massive star formation in the Milky Way, located at the tangent region of the Norma spiral arm. Molecular line and millimeter continuum emission maps reveal the presence of six compact and luminous molecular clumps, with physical properties consistent with values found toward other massive star forming sources. This work includes the discovery of one of the most energetic and luminous molecular outflows known in the Galaxy, G331.512-0.103. For this high-speed outflow, I present ALMA observations that reveal a very compact, extremely young bipolar outflow and a more symmetric outflowing shocked shell surrounding a very small region of ionized gas. The source is one of the youngest examples of massive molecular outflows associated with the formation of a high-mass star. / text

This thesis presents a multiwavelength analysis, from the infrared to the microwave, of the young, forming stars in the Auriga-California Molecular Cloud and a first look at the disks they host and their potential for forming planetary systems. At the beginning of this thesis, Auriga-Cal had only recently been identified as one contiguous cloud with its distance placing it within the Gould Belt of nearby star-forming regions (Lada et al. 2009). This thesis presents the largest body of work to date on Auriga-Cal's star formation and disk population. Auriga-Cal is one of two nearby giant molecular clouds (GMCs) in the Gould Belt, the other being the Orion A molecular cloud. These two GMCs have similar mass (~10^5 Msolar), spatial scale (~80 pc), distance (~450 pc), and filamentary morphology, yet the two clouds present very different star formation qualities and quantities. Namely, Auriga-Cal is forming far fewer stars and does not exhibit the high-mass star formation seen in Orion A. In this thesis, I present a census of the star forming objects in the infrared with the Spitzer Space Telescope showing that Auriga-Cal contains at least 166 young stellar objects (YSOs), 15-20x fewer stars than Orion A, the majority of which are located in the cluster around LkHalpha 101, NGC 1529, and the filament extending from it. I find the submillimetre census with the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope, sensitive to the youngest objects, arrives at a similar result showing the disparity between the two clouds observed in the infrared continues to the submillimetre. Therefore the relative star formation rate between the two clouds has remained constant in recent times. The final chapter introduces the first study targeted at the disk population to measure the formation potential of planetary systems around the young stars in Auriga-Cal. The dust thermal emission at cm wavelengths is observed to measure the relative amounts of cm-sized grains, indicative of the grain growth processes that take place in disks and are necessary for planet formation. For a subsample of our targets, we are able to measure the spectral slope in the cm to confirm the thermal nature of the observed emission that we detect and characterize the signature of grain growth. The sensitivity of our observations probes masses greater than the minimum mass solar nebula (MMSN), the disk mass required to form the Solar System. We detect 19 disks, representing almost a third of our sample, comparable to the numbers of disks in other nearby star-forming regions with disks masses exceeding the MMSN, suggesting that the disk population in Auriga-Cal possesses similar planet formation potential as populations in other clouds. Confirmation of this result requires future observations with mm interferometry, the wavelength regime where the majority of statistics of disks has been measured. / Graduate

In this study we present GALEX UV, Sloan Digital Sky Survey, and Spitzer infrared imaging, along with an optical Hα map of the interacting galaxy pair Arp 107. IRAF photometry was used to analyze 29 star forming regions identified in previous work done with Spitzer colors. In this paper further analysis of the clumps of newly formed stars was done by creating Spectral Energy Distribution plots to sort the clumps as quiescent or starbursts. Color - color plots were used to estimate the ages and extinctions of the clumps by comparing magnitudes to stellar population synthesis models. Results seem to agree with previous models, and indicate a sequence of increasing age around the galaxy arm.

The environmental conditions in the center of the Milky Way galaxy (Central Molecular Zone; CMZ) are much more extreme than in the disk of the galaxy with molecular gas properties similar to those seen in galaxies at z~2. While the CMZ hosts several massive star clusters, the formation of stars from these dense molecular clouds and the feedback of these massive stars on the ISM is not well understood. I present in my thesis a case study of a few regions in the CMZ using VLA continuum and spectral line observations. I explore feedback eects of recent star formation (a young massive stellar cluster) on the surrounding ISM (molecular and ionized gas). Using the kinematic information of molecular and ionized gas, obtained dierent species of spectral lines, I will determine the line of sight geometry of the dierent gas components. I will then establish the relationship of these components to the larger structure of molecular gas in the CMZ.

Progress in our understanding of the chemical composition of the interstellar medium leans both on laboratory analyses of high resolution rotational spectra from molecules that may be present in these regions, and on radio astronomical observations of molecular tracers to constrain astrochemical models. Due to the thermodynamic conditions in outer space, some molecules likely to be found in interstellar regions in relevant abundances are open shell radicals. In a series of laboratory studies, the pure rotational spectra of the transition metal containing radicals sulfur species ScS, YS, VS and ZnSH were obtained for the first time. In addition to accurate and precise rest frequencies for these species, bonding characteristics were determined from fine and hyperfine molecular parameters. It was found that these sulfides have a higher degree of covalent bonding than their mostly ionic oxide counterparts. Isomers and isotope ratios are excellent diagnostic tools for a variety of astrochemical models. From radio observations of isotopes of nitrile species, the galactic gradient of ¹⁴N/¹⁵N was accurately established. A further study of this ratio in carbon rich asymptotic giant branch stars provided observational evidence for an unknown process in J type carbon stars, and highlighted the need to update stellar nucleosynthesis models. Proper radiative transfer modeling of the emission spectra of interstellar molecules can yield a wealth of information about the abundance and distribution of these species within the observed sources. To model the asymmetric emission of SO and SO₂ in oxygen-rich supergiants, an in-house code was developed, and successfully applied to gain insight into circumstellar sulfur chemistry of VY Canis Majoris. It was concluded that current astrochemistry kinetic models, based on spherical symmetry assumptions, need to be revisited.

Studies of carbon's evolutionary path have been conducted via millimeter and submillimeter observations of circumstellar envelopes (CSEs), planetary nebulae (PNe), molecular clouds and comets. The 12C/13C isotope ratio was measured in Galactic molecular clouds using the CN isotopologs. A gradient of 12CN/13CN was determined to be 12C/13C = 6.01 DGC +12.28, where DGC is distance from the Galactic center. The results of CN are in agreement with those of CO and H2CO indicating a true ratio not influenced by fractionation effects or isotope-selective photodissociation. The 12C/13C isotope ratios in the envelopes of various types of stars were also measured from both CO and CN isotopologs. Such objects as carbon and oxygen-rich asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars, supergiants, planetary nebulae, and S-type stars were observed. Results from this study indicate 12C/13C values for supergiants ~ 10 and AGB stars 12C/13C ~ 20- 76. Theory would suggest a lower ratio for objects undergoing third dredge-up, though this is seemingly not the case. Multiple carbon-bearing species including CO, HCN, HNC, CN, CS, and HCO+ have also been observed towards the oxygen-rich supergiant, VY CMa. This object has recently revealed a unique chemistry where carbon is not solely contained in CO, and may play a more important role in the chemical network of oxygen-rich circumstellar envelopes. Additionally, observations of species with carbon- carbon bonds, such as CCH and c-C3H2, have been conducted towards evolved planetary nebulae, such as the Helix and Ring nebulae. There is a close agreement in the inventories of species found in PNe and diffuse clouds, suggesting a potential molecular precursor to the interstellar medium. Observations of carbon-bearing species (H2CO and CO) in comets C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp), C/2001 Q4 (NEAT), and C/2002 T7 (LINEAR) have been conducted. Formaldehyde is known to have an extended distribution in these objects, likely arising from silicate-organic grains. Evidence of cometary fragmentation was also obtained for H2CO in comet T7 LINEAR as well as for HNC and HCO+ in Hale-Bopp. Such events could contribute to planetary distribution of organics.

The object of this dissertation is to provide an observational study of the effects of interstellar magnetic fields on star-formation regions. This is part of a long-standing research project that uses the techniques of radio astronomy to measure magnetic field strengths in the interstellar medium of our galaxy. Interstellar magnetic fields are believed to play a crucial role in the star-formation process therefore a comprehensive study of magnetic fields is necessary in understanding the origins of stars. These projects use observational data obtained from the Very Large Array (VLA) in Socorro, NM. The data reveal interstellar magnetic field strengths via the Zeeman effect in radio frequency spectral lines. This information provides an estimate of the magnetic energy in star-forming interstellar clouds in the Galaxy, and comparisons can be made with these energies and the energies of self-gravitation and internal motions. From these comparisons, a better understanding of the role of magnetic fields in the origins of stars will emerge. The regions observed include the giant molecular clouds and star-forming regions of Cygnus X and NGC 6334. NGC 6334 A is a compact HII region at the center of what is believed to be a large, rotating molecular torus (based on studies by Kramer et al. (1997)). This is a continuing study based on initial measurements of the HI and OH Zeeman effect (Sarma et al. (2000)). The current study includes OH observations performed by the VLA at a higher spatial resolution than previously published data, and allows for a better analysis of the spatial variations of the magnetic field. A new model of the region is also developed based on OH opacity studies, dust continuum maps, radio spectral lines, and infrared (IR) maps. The VLA has been used to study the Zeeman effect in the 21cm HI line seen in absorption against radio sources in the Cygnus-X region. These sources are mostly galactic nebulae or HII regions, and are bright and compact in this region of the spectrum. HI absorption lines are strong against these regions and the VLA is capable of detecting the weak Zeeman effect within them.