Project Grant 2606218

The National Science Foundation Division of Astronomical Sciences awarded the University of Florida $438,426 on September 1, 2026, under the Mathematical and Physical Sciences program (CFDA 47.049) to conduct observational research on gas flows in star formation.

The research analyzes the ALMA Panta Rei large program dataset, mapping 259 star-forming clumps to trace gas flows from parsec-scale clouds to 1000 AU cores and linking observations across multiple high-resolution programs (DIHCA, MAGMAR, and HIPPOS). The project will measure how material flows into forming stars under gravity across hundreds of different clouds at different evolutionary phases, tracking the flow rate and mass at each stage—from large gas reservoirs through material streams into small star systems to individual protoplanetary disks. The analysis employs uniform observations of dense gas tracers (N2H+, H13CO+) and inflow/outflow tracers (HCO+, HNC, SIO) to answer whether dynamical decoupling is universal, how mass inflows organize, and how clump kinematics impact core formation. Work is performed in Gainesville, Florida, with a period of performance from September 1, 2026, through August 31, 2029. The project will train a graduate student and develop interactive visual sky tours for public engagement with astronomy.