The environment of a galaxy influences its gas and star formation properties via evolutionary mechanisms, such as ram pressure stripping and tidal stripping. In particular, the molecular to atomic gas ratio and dynamical equilibrium pressure are key parameters for understanding star formation in galaxies. I use 1.2 kpc resolution data for galaxies in the Virgo Cluster from the VERTICO survey and for field galaxies from the HERACLES survey to study the spatially resolved relationship between molecular to atomic gas ratios and star formation properties (eg. star formation rate, molecular gas depletion time) in galaxies as a function of dynamical equilibrium pressure. I find that cluster galaxies have higher molecular to atomic gas ratios at a given dynamical equilibrium pressure than field galaxies do. Within both samples there is strong galaxy to galaxy variation in the relationship driven by the gas content of each galaxy. In order to investigate the role of cluster environmental mechanisms on the properties of cluster galaxies I use atomic gas deficiency as a proxy for these environmental mechanisms. I find that atomic gas deficiency plays a significant role in the gas properties, star formation properties and dynamical equilibrium pressure of cluster galaxies. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

This thesis details the development of the radiation transport code torus for radiation hydrodynamic applications and its subsequent use in investigating problems regarding radiative feedback. The code couples Monte Carlo photoionization with grid-based hydrodynamics and has the advantage that all of the features available to a dedicated radiation transport code are at its disposal in RHD applications. I discuss the development of the code, including the hydrodynamics scheme, the adaptive mesh refinement (AMR) framework and the coupling of radiation transport with hydrodynamics. Extensive testing of the resulting code is also presented. The main application involves the study of radiatively driven implosion (RDI), a mechanism where the expanding ionized region about a massive star impacts nearby clumps, potentially triggering star formation. Firstly I investigate the way in which the radiation field is treated, isolating the relative impacts of polychromatic and diffuse field radiation on the evolution of radiation hydrodynamic RDI models. I also produce synthetic SEDs, radio, Hα and forbidden line images of the bright rimmed clouds (BRCs) resulting from the RDI models, on which I perform standard diagnostics that are used by observers to obtain the cloud conditions. I test the accuracy of the diagnostics and show that considering the pressure difference between the neutral cloud and surrounding ionized layer can be used to infer whether or not RDI is occurring. Finally I use more synthetic observations to investigate the accuracy of molecular line diagnostics and the nature of line profiles of BRCs. I show that the previously unexplained lack of dominant blue-asymmetry (a blue-asymmetry is the expected signature of a collapsing cloud) in the line profiles of BRCs can be explained by the shell of material, swept up by the expanding ionized region, that drives into the cloud. The work in this thesis combines to help resolve the difficulties in understanding radiative feedback, which is a non–linear process that happens on small astrophysical timescales, by improving numerical models and the way in which they are compared with observations.

In this thesis we test and expand our current knowledge of Star Formation Laws (SF laws) in the extreme environment of dwarf irregular galaxies. We focus on the SF characteristics of our 18 galaxies sample, extending current investigations of the Schmidt-Kennicutt law to the low luminosity, low metallicity regime. The Hi data used in this project have been observed, calibrated and imaged according to the LITTLE THINGS Survey prescription to which I brought my own contribution as a member of the team. Apart from high resolution, VLA data in B, C and D array configurations, this project makes use of an extensive set of multi- wavelength data (H , FUV, 24 m, 3.6 m, V-band and K-band). Molecular gas in dwarfs is very difficult to observe, mainly because due to the low metallicity environment, we lose our only molecular tracer, the CO which becomes under luminous. Therefore the gas distribution is represented by Hi gas only. We create our Star Formation Rate (SFR) maps mainly based on FUV maps because our analysis shows that FUV is the SF tracer that allows us the most extensive sampling of the SFR surface density (SFRD) and Hi surface density relation. The main results of our study are: Whereas in spiral galaxies Bigiel et al. (2008) have found a one to one relation between star formation rate and molecular gas and no relation between the SFR and the neutral gas, in a small sample of dwarfs as well as in the outskirts of spiral galaxies Bigiel et al. (2010b) has found that SFRD does correlate with Hi surface density. We confirm the existence of the SFRD vs. Hi surface density relation in dwarf irregular galaxies and a linear fitting through all our data (all 18 galaxies combined) yields a power law relation ΣSFR ∝ Σ1.87±0.3/HI . We find that the interiors of Hi shells, at 400 pc scales, become resolved and show up in SFRD versus Hi surface density plots although within the shell interior we have SFRD values but no Hi surface density related to them. Thus, the points originating from those regions contribute significantly to the increase of the scatter in the plot. We show that by excluding those points the correlation between SFRD and Hi surface density improves between 10% and 20%. Eight of the 18 galaxies in our sample have Hi maxima higher than the 10M pc-2 value found by Bigiel et al. (2008) for spiral galaxies. Krumholz et al. (2011) predicted that the 10M pc-2 threshold is metallicity dependent in galaxies with sub-solar metallicity, however the theoretically predicted values for our galaxies only match the observed Hi maxima in one case (DDO168). We find that metallicity cannot be the only factor setting the Hi to H2 transition. In fact, we find evidence that the higher the interstellar radiation field (ISRF), the higher the Hi maximum is, hence we suggest that the ISRF should also be taken into consideration in predicting the Hi to H2 transition threshold. We find that even tighter than the SFRD vs. Hi surface density relation is the SFRD vs. V-band surface density relation. Unlike the SFRD vs. Hi surface density relation the SFRD vs. V-band surface density relation follows a power law and can be written as follows: ΣSFR ∝ (10^μv)^-0.43±0.03. The SFRD vs. V-band surface density relation suggests that the existing stars also play a role in the formation of the next generation of stars. Within our sample of dwarf galaxies the average pressure per resolution element and the SFRD are in a 1:1 linear relation: ΣSFR ∝ P_h^1.02±0.05. A similar relation has been found by Blitz & Rosolowsky (2006) for the low-pressure regimes of spiral galaxies. In conclusion we find that in the extreme environments of dwarf galaxies the metal deficiency and the lack of the classic SF stimulators (spiral arms, shear motions) do not impede the star forming process. In these galaxies, dust-shielding becomes predominantly self-shielding and there is plenty of Hi available to achieve this additional task. Existing stars assume the role of pressure enhancers, which in turn will stimulate SF without the need of spiral arms or shear motion.

My Ph.D. has been composed of work involving the use of far–IR and submm observations of AGN. During this time it has focused on the in- terplay between AGN and their host galaxies and cluster environments. Understanding the role of AGN, and how they affect the evolution of both their host galaxies and surrounding environments, is a pressing concern in cosmological models of the universe, affecting as they do the chemical makeup, star formation rate, and morphology of their host galaxies. In Chapter 2, we focus on attempting to determine whether there is an inherent physical difference between Broad Absorption Line Quasars and non–BAL QSOs using Herschel observations taken at 250, 350 and 500 μm as part of the H–ATLAS (Eales et al. 2010) survey. BAL QSOs have been considered the most visible form of AGN feedback, and therefore are a prime starting point for understanding how galaxy evolution may be affected by the presence of an AGN. By using matched samples of 50 BAL and 329 non–BAL QSOs, we create weighted stacks at each wavelength, finding similar far–IR flux–densities for each sample within the errors. By SED modelling using a simple modified black body (Hildebrand 1983) fit to Mrk 231 and IZw1, we derive likely upper and lower limits for the BAL and non–BAL QSOs in each wavelength, again finding they are consistent within the errors. A bevy of statistical tests run on either population similarly finds no evidence to reject the null hypothesis they are drawn from the same parent population. These results would imply that HiBAL QSOs can be unified with ordinary QSOs within a simple orientation dependent scheme. We cannot make the same distinction for LoBALs or FeLoBALs, which the literature suggests may well be a separate evolutionary phase. In Chapter 3, we determine whether the presence of an AGN correlates to an overdensity of star–forming galaxies in the FIR, as has been found at shorter wavelengths (Falder et al. 2010). For the SHAGs study, 171 AGN were observed and selected at z∼1. By using observations at 250 μm, we are able to trace close to the peak of the grey–body SED created by reprocessing by dust of radiation from young O and B stars. Following data reduction, we determine number counts and correct for completeness within a 1Mpc radius of the central AGN. We find an overdensity on the order of around 0.4 sources per AGN, implying a degree of activity already significantly lower than at higher redshifts. This overdensity appears to be somewhat different between RL AGN and RQQ within 1Mpc. A cor- relation is found between radio luminosity and star formation overdensity, consistent with a stronger dependence found by Falder et al. (2010) at 3.6 μm, and there also appears to be a correlation between stellar mass and star formation overdensity for radio–loud QSOs. The galaxies in the environs of the AGN have LIRG–level luminosities, and are likely the pro- genitors of modern day S0 galaxies, whose population increases steadily from z∼1 to the present day (Postman et al. 2005; Smith et al. 2005). Our work with SCUBA–2, presented in Chapter 4, follows on from a prior sample of X–ray–absorbed QSOs (Stevens et al. 2005). This new sample is composed of more highly–absorbed X–ray QSOs and covers a larger area than the initial sample, so is ideal for an analysis of source counts around AGN at high–redshift. Data from the JCMT have been reduced, and completeness corrections and flux corrections applied to catalogues to determine the number counts around AGN. A comparison background, created using data from the Cosmology Legacy Survey has been used to derive comparison counts. The AGN have been investigated, yet none are detected above 3 at 850 μm, in contrast to the original sample. This may suggest that star formation in their host galaxies has been suppressed. Upon stacking in redshift and BAL classification, no difference in flux– density is apparent and the sources studied here have a similar stacked submm output to an unabsorbed QSO sample created for the original X– ray absorbed QSOs. However, over half of the sources here are BAL QSOs in contrast to the original absorbed QSO sample which contained only 1 BAL QSO. From the work in Chapter 2, one might expect BAL and non–BAL QSOs to have similar flux–densities. We argue that the sources studied in this thesis have likely undergone rapid evolution owing to a strong outflow, and as such star formation has been suppressed sufficiently that the submm emission is below the confusion noise. BAL winds may still be present, but essentially, the show is already over. A similar mechanism may already have occurred in unabsorbed QSOs if all QSOs pass through an X–ray–absorbed phase. With regard to source counts, we find that there is tentative evidence for an overdensity of sources around these AGN. The SFRs of the companion sources have been calculated using several greybody analogues, all of which imply a high degree of activity, suggesting these fields will evolve to become some of the most massive regions at the present epoch, in keeping with current theories of SMGs and high–redshift clusters.

Massive star formation takes place in the dense cores of molecular clouds where the stars may be obscured at optical wavelengths. An excellent signpost of a massive young stellar object is the presence of an ultra-compact HII region (UCHii), which is a dense photo-ionised cocoon of gas surrounding the newly formed star. The aim of this project is to develop an assembly of numerical tools, caravela, that can simulate realistic data streams representing high-mass star forming regions in our Galaxy. The synthetic output consists in images and photometric point source catalogues, in the IRAS and Herschel wavebands. In an era when large observational surveys are increasingly important, this tool can produce simulated infrared point-source catalogues of high-mass star forming regions on a Galactic scale. The approach used is to construct a synthetic Galaxy of star-forming regions represented by SED templates. The star-forming regions are distributed randomly along a four spiral arm morphology, although a wide range of geometries can be used including rings and different numbers of spiral arms. The caravela code then observes the synthetic Galaxy to produce simulated images and point source catalogues with appropriate sensitivity and angular resolution. caravela was first used to model the simulated Galaxy by constraining the synthetic output to observations made by IRAS. This numerical tool will allow the user to infer physical properties of the Galactic population of high-mass star forming regions from such observations. Second, the selected model was again observed with caravela in Herschel mode. These are therefore predictive results for the future Herschel observations. A model with 4.0×104 compact proto-stars embedded in larger grey-body envelopes (with T = 40 K and linear size scale lIII = 5.0 × 106 AU) is the best-fit model to the IRAS observational data set studied. We found a level of contamination from low- and intermediate-mass objects of " 90%. The modelled data set resulting from the Herschel simulation resulted in the detection of approximately twice as many Herschel objects than IRAS, which is consistent, in a limited way, with the real observed companion clump fraction (CCF) of 0.90 ± 0.07 (Thompson et al., 2006) means that on average there were observed 2 sources per one IRAS source. Our caravela and the real observed CCF are therefore consistent. caravela was coupled with an independent diffuse emission model (Paladini et al., 2007) and the resulting analysis is presented as an interesting seed for the future.

The overall aim of this thesis is to investigate the environments of AGN, in particular, the density of galaxies in the environments of radio-loud and radio-quiet AGN. This determines whether AGN trace dense environments at high redshifts and whether the environments are important in addressing the problem of radio-loud dichotomy. I extend my research by investigating whether star-formation evolves differently in high-redshift AGN environments compared to the field. I begin by investigating the environments of 169 AGN using Spitzer data at z ∼ 1. I investigate the source density of star-forming galaxies in the environments of radio galaxies, radio-loud quasars and radio- quiet quasars. I do not find any significant overdensity of star-forming galaxies in these environments, although I find tentative evidence for a diff erence in the colours of galaxies in the radio galaxy environments compared to the quasar and field environments. I next use VIDEO data to investigate the environments of the quasars out to z ∼ 3. Firstly, I use a training sample of QSOs and galaxies, which trains a neural network to detect QSOs in the VIDEO data. I detect 274 possible QSOs in the VIDEO data using this method. I am able to determine that the efficiency of the neural network clas- sification is 95 per cent using the training sample. I compare these results to a colour selection method, which detects 88 QSOs in the VIDEO data, and find that the neural network is able to detect ∼ 80 per cent of the colour selected QSOs at Ks = 21. I then investigate the source overdensity using a radial analysis on the environments of the VIDEO QSOs. I find a significant overdensity of galaxies in the environments of the whole QSO sample and in the environments of the radio-loud quasars compared to the radio-quiet quasars. I extend the density analysis by using a second density measure, called the spatial clustering amplitude technique, to compare the environments of the quasars with their radio luminosities, absolute magnitudes and redshifts. I do not fi any significant correlations between environmental density and radio luminosity, absolute magnitude or redshift for the QSOs. I extend this research to investigate the type of galaxies found in the AGN environments. However, I do not find any significant differences between the type of galaxies found in the QSO environments and the background field.

This thesis presents both a study of the cluster-scale environments in which massive stars form, investigating in particular how the ionized gas in these regions relates to the molecular star-forming material, as well as detailed studies of two luminous forming stars, AFGL 2591 and IRAS 20126+4104, to determine whether they are forming similarly to their low-mass counterparts. The results of this work include the identification of 35 HII regions (20 newly discovered) via a radio continuum survey of ionized gas towards 31 molecular cluster-forming clumps. The observed ionized gas was found to be preferentially associated with the clumps, which were shown to have a range of evolutionary stages. The massive star formation efficiency was determined for the clumps with associated ionized gas, and a relationship was found between the mass of the clumps and the mass of their embedded massive stars. By modelling the SEDs and images of AFGL 2591 and IRAS 20126+4104, it was found that the geometry of their circumstellar material was generally consistent with an envelope plus disk, similar to that expected for low-mass protostars. However, within the central ~1800 AU, the mid-IR images of IRAS 20126+4104 were better described by only a flattened envelope, suggesting that the radiation from IRAS 20126+4104 may be affecting the regions closest to the star. Observations of the ionized and molecular gas towards AFGL 2591 were carried out, and a photoionization code was developed to interpret these observations. The results showed that the observed 3.6 cm emission is likely to be produced by both a shock-ionized jet and a hypercompact HII region that does not appear to have disrupted the jet or the large-scale circumstellar environment. In addition, the C¹⁸O(1-0) emission observed towards AFGL2591 traces the densest parts of the outflow, with the blue-shifted emission exhibiting many of the properties of the outflows from low-mass protostars.

Stars are born from dense cores of gas within molecular clouds. The exact nature of the connection between these gas cores and the stars they form is an important issue in the field of star formation. In this thesis I use numerical simulations of molecular clouds to trace the evolution of cores into stars. The CLUMPFIND method, commonly used to identify gas structures is tested. I find that the core boundaries it yields are unreliable, but in spite of this, the same profile is universally found for the mass function. To facilitate a more robust definition of a core, a modified clumpfind algorithm which uses gravitational potential instead of density is introduced. This allows the earliest fragmentation in a simulated molecular cloud to be identified. The first bound cores have a mass function that closely resembles the stellar IMF, but there is a poor correspondence between individual core masses and the stellar masses formed from them. From this, it is postulated that environmental factors play a significant part in a core’s evolution. This is particularly true for massive stars, as massive cores are prone to further fragmentation. In these simulations, massive stars are formed simultaneously with stellar clusters, and thus the evolution of one can affect the other. In particular, the global collapse of the forming cluster aids accretion by the precursors of the massive stars. By tracing the evolution of the massive stars, I find that most of the material accreted by them comes from diffuse gas, rather than from a well-defined stellar core.

A long-standing problem in low-mass star formation is the "luminosity problem," whereby protostars are underluminous compared to the accretion luminosity expected both from theoretical collapse calculations and arguments based on the minimum accretion rate necessary to form a star within the embedded phase duration. In this dissertation, I present new research on protostars and the protostellar accretion process that addresses the luminosity problem in the following ways: I report new infrared detections of a very low luminosity protostar in Taurus and use all existing data ranging from the infrared through millimeter wavelengths to constrain radiative transfer models and determine physical properties of the source. I argue that the derived source luminosity is lower than that expected based on the properties of a previously detected molecular outflow driven by this source and suggest that this discrepancy can be resolved by variable rather than constant mass accretion. I report the discovery of a new protostar that is also driving a molecular outflow. Following a similar modeling procedure as above, I show that this source has an even lower luminosity that is once again inconsistent with that expected based on the properties of its outflow, again suggesting variable mass accretion. I present the results of a complete search for all protostars with luminosities less than or equal to that of our Sun in a new infrared survey of nearby star-forming regions. I identify 50 protostars with such luminosities. Only a small fraction (15-25%) of dense cores thought to be starless (not yet collapsing to form stars) in fact harbor low luminosity protostars. The distribution of luminosities of these 50 protostars is inconsistent with a constant protostellar mass accretion rate. I present a set of evolutionary models that start with existing models following the inside-out collapse of singular isothermal spheres and add isotropic scattering off dust grains, a circumstellar disk, two-dimensional envelope structure, mass-loss and the opening of outflow cavities, and a simple treatment of episodic mass accretion. I conclude that episodic mass accretion is both necessary and sufficient to resolve the luminosity problem. / text

In this thesis, I focus on the physical and chemical evolution at the earliest stages of low-mass star formation. I report results from the Spitzer Space Telescope and molecular line observations of 9 species toward the dark cloud L43, a survey of 10 Class 0 and 6 Class I protostars with 8 molecular lines, and a survey of 9 Very Low Luminosity Objects (VeLLOs) with 11 molecular lines. From the observational results, CO depletion is extensively observed with C¹⁸O(2-1) maps. A general evolutionary trend is also seen toward the Class 0 and I samples: higher deuterium fractionation at higher CO depletion. For the VeLLO candidates and starless cores with N₂D⁺(3-2) detection, we found the deuterium ratio of N₂D⁺/N₂H⁺ is higher comparing with the Class 0 and I samples. We use DCO⁺(3-2) maps to trace the velocity structures. Also, HCO⁺(3-2) blue profiles are seen toward the VeLLO candidate L328, indicating possible infall. To test theoretical models and to interpret the observations, we adopt a modeling sequence with self-consistent calculations of dust radiative transfer, gas energetics, chemistry, and line radiative transfer. In the L43 region described in Chapter 2, a starless core and a Class I protostar are evolving in the same environment. We modeled both sources with the same initial conditions to test the chemical characteristics with and without protostellar heating. The physical model consists of a series of Bonner-Ebert spheres describing the pre-protostellar (PPC) stages following by standard inside-out collapse (Shu 1977). The model best matches the observed lines suggests a longer total timescale at the PPC stage, with faster evolution at the later steps with higher densities. In Chapter 3, we modeled the entire group of Class 0 and I protostars. The trend of decreasing deuterium ratio can be seen after the temperature is high enough for CO to evaporate. After the evaporation, the history of heavy depletion (e.g, from longer PPC timescales or different grain surface properties) no longer affects the line intensities of gas-phase CO. The HCO⁺ blue profiles, which are used as infall indicators, are predicted to be observed when infall is beyond the CO evaporation front. The low luminosity of VeLLOs cannot be explained by standard models with steady accretion, and we tested an evolutionary model incorporating episodic accretion to investigate the thermal history and chemical behaviors. We tested a few chemical parameters to compare with the observations and the results from Chapter 2 and 3. The modeling results from episodic accretion models show that CO and N₂ evaporate from grain mantle surfaces at the accretion bursts and can freeze back onto grain surfaces during the long periods of quiescent phases. Deuterated species, such as N₂D⁺ and H₂D⁺, are most sensitive to the temperature. Possible good tracers for the thermal history include the line intensities of gas-phase N₂H+ relative to CO, as well as CO₂ and CO ice features. / text