This $228,609 National Science Foundation Project Grant supports research into understanding high-mass star formation through observations of cold, dense gas cores using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) telescope. Led by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the research team will conduct a systematic survey of potential starless, high-mass gas clumps within 5 kiloparsecs of Earth to reveal any embedded high-mass cores. Detailed ALMA observations will deliver information on the internal density, temperature structure, and magnetic field properties of candidate high-mass cores. The investigators will test theories that high-mass stars originate in very turbulent, cold cores concentrating many solar masses of gas. The project aims to place stringent constraints on existing theories of high-mass star formation through analysis of the resulting massive dataset. This award falls under the NSF's Mathematical and Physical Sciences program to advance scientific knowledge and understanding of major problems through basic research and education.
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