Stars form when filaments and dense cores in molecular clouds fragment and collapse due to self-gravity. In the most basic analyses of gravitational stability, the competition between self-gravity and thermal pressure sets the critical (i.e. maximum stable) mass of spheres and the critical line density of cylinders. Previous work has considered additional support from magnetic fields and turbulence. Here, we consider the effects of non-ionizing radiation, specifically the inward radiation pressure force that acts on dense structures embedded in an isotropic radiation field. Using hydrostatic, isothermal models, we find that irradiation lowers the critical mass and line density for gravitational collapse, and can thus act as a trigger for star formation. For structures with moderate central densities, similar to 10(3) cm(-3), the interstellar radiation field in the Solar vicinity has an order unity effect on stability thresholds. For more evolved objects with higher central densities, a significant lowering of stability thresholds requires stronger irradiation, as can be found closer to the Galactic centre or near stellar associations. Even when strong sources of ionizing radiation are absent or extincted, our study shows that interstellar irradiation can significantly influence the star formation process.

The effect of dust/gas heating and cooling is shown to have a significant effect on the process of clustered star formation. Compared to an isothermal simulation, a simulation with a more accurate description of the equation of state produces an order of magnitude fewer stars as well as stars of much greater mass. The energetics algorithm used to calculate the dust and gas temperature includes the radiative heating of dust, dust-gas collisional heating/cooling, cosmic-ray heating, and molecular cooling. It uses DUSTY, a spherical continuum radiative transfer code, to model the dust temperature distribution around young stellar objects with various luminosities and surrounding gas and dust density distributions. The gas temperature is then determined by assuming energy balance. Before the complete energetics algorithm is included in a simulation, first only the dust heating component is included. The gas temperature is then set solely by the dust temperature. The resultant mass functions of our simulations which include heating are compared to those which assume an isothermal equation of state. We find that including dust heating severely limits star formation; we form at least an order of magnitude fewer objects when we include dust heating compared to an isothermal simulation. The mass functions from our simulations which include heating are much more similar than the mass functions from our isothermal simulations to the observed mass functions, in that they are able to form high-mass stars (M [> subscript tilde] 10M[solar mass]). The distribution of the high-mass objects is well-approximated by the Salpeter initial mass function. Including the complete energetics algorithm in a simulation produces results similar to a simulation with only dust heating. Both simulations have similar density profile parameters. The mass accretion, mass, and luminosity evolution of the sinks is also similar. The average temperature, however, is cooler than the simulation with only dust heating. We form fewer objects comparatively and are still unable to form enough low and intermediate-mass objects to replicate the observed mass function. This may be an effect of small number statistics, or possibly physical processes that are not considered in this work. / text

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Typescript. / Includes bibliographies. / Photocopy. / Microfilm. / xi, 175 leaves, bound ill. 29 cm

Mode of access: World Wide Web. / Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references. / Electronic reproduction. / Also available by subscription via World Wide Web / xvii, 261 leaves, bound ill. (some col.) 29 cm

The formation of stars from interstellar gas is the cornerstone of galaxy evolution. This thesis represents work undertaken in order to characterise the role of cool interstellar gas, and its relation to star formation, in galaxy evolution across cosmic time. In particular, it concentrates on star forming galaxies at the extremes of the galaxy assembly spectrum - extremely faint dwarfs, and extremely luminous starbursts - in an attempt to test the limits of galaxy evolution models. The thesis falls into two complimentary halves, addressing topics in the low redshift and high redshift Universe respectively. In the low redshift Universe, I discuss multi-wavelength studies of large samples of z rv O galaxies, which include extremely faint dwarf galaxies in the Local Volume. Using these samples, it is possible to derive a multitude of physical parameters (including star formation rates, stellar masses, and gas masses) which allow the interrelationship between star formation and gas content to be assessed in a statistically significant manner. In particular, modern wide field surveys (combined with deep, volume-limited data) allow trends to be analysed across many orders of magnitude in galaxy mass and star formation rate, shedding light on the global properties of galaxies in the local Universe. Moving to higher redshift, I discuss targeted observations of molecular gas in extreme star forming galaxies in the early Universe. These 'sub-millimetre' galaxies number amongst the most luminous objects ever discovered, and molecular gas observations have the power to uncover many of their physical properties, including their morphologies, kinematics, and star formation behaviour. I begin by presenting high-resolution observations of a small number of these galaxies at z rv 2, and discussing the implications for galaxy evolution studies. The final chapter of this thesis consists of the results of a survey for molecular gas in sub-millimetre galaxies conducted over the last decade, which represents the largest single study of molecular gas in the early Universe to date.

No description available.

In this thesis, images of a debris disc are used to examine the evidence for the presence of a Neptune-like planet around ε Eridani and detections of protoplanetary discs are used to investigate the evidence for star and future planet formation. A χ² analysis of the movement of clumps in the ε Eridani debris disc is presented using 850 μm SCUBA data taken over a 4 year period and compared with results from simulated data. A rotation is detected at the 2σ level and is faster than the Keplerian rate, consistent with theoretical models in which dust trapped in mean motion resonances tracks a planet orbiting the star at ≈26 AU. Future observations that could be taken with SCUBA-2 are also simulated and demonstrate that the true rotation rate cannot be recovered without the identification of the background sources aligned with the clumpy debris disc. Near and mid infrared observations are used to perform a survey of YSOs in the Rosette Molecular Cloud. Although triggering by compression of the molecular cloud by the expanding HII region at the centre of the Rosette Nebula is a possible origin for some of the recent star formation, the majority of the active star formation is occurring in already dense regions of the cloud not compressed by the expansion of the HII region. Mid-infrared data for W4 and SCUBA data for the star forming region AFGL 333 are also presented. A survey of YSOs reveals that whilst some young sources are coincident with the W4 loop, consistent with a scenario of triggered star formation in a swept-up shell, several young sources are found to be forming outside of this ring. The dust temperature and mass of AFGL 333 are estimated and the result implies a star formation efficiency of ~4% in the W4 loop.