ABSTRACT High mass stars affect their environments on a large scale. However, the processes behind the formation of high mass stars are still relatively poorly understood compared to their low mass counterparts. Infrared dark clouds (IRDCs) and their cold cores (gravitationally bound cores embedded within the IRDCs) are thought to be the earliest observable stage of high mass star formation. By observing these very young regions we gain insight into the formation of high mass stars. IRDCs were initially found as regions of extended absorption in the midinfrared (MIR). However, identifying IRDCs in the MIR alone can create problems because there is no way to distinguish between IRDCs and minima in the MIR background. In this thesis we use data taken by the Herschel Infrared Galactic Plane Survey to observe IRDCs and their cold cores at wavelengths where they are expected to be seen in emission, i.e. in the far-infrared (FIR).
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:567345 |
| Date | January 2012 |
| Creators | Wilcock, Lucy Ann |
| Publisher | Cardiff University |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | http://orca.cf.ac.uk/36687/ |
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