Project information
Bridging Cosmic Scales: Understanding Star Formation from Molecular Clouds to Galactic Structures (Tereza Jeřábková)

This MASH project aims to elucidate star formation across cosmic scales, from molecular clouds to galactic structures. At its heart lies the Stellar Initial Mass Function (IMF), which is critical for understanding star formation, galaxy evolution, and chemical enrichment. The research investigates the IMF's pivotal role and strives to clarify the initial conditions, universality, and dynamical processes of star formation in diverse environments.
Employing cutting-edge observational data from Gaia, ESO's VLT, and JWST, in conjunction with Machine Learning and N-body simulations, the project probes the complexities of star formation. The GalIMF code, a cornerstone of this study, is a unique tool crafted to construct stellar populations in galaxies from individual star-forming regions. With its novel capability, GalIMF calculates self-consistent chemical evolution featuring a systematically variable stellar IMF, effectively connecting the dots between small-scale processes directly affecting star formation and large-scale galactic stellar populations.
The project is composed of two principal themes: i) the detailed examination of resolved star-(cluster) formation and evolution; and ii) the integration of this resolved star formation with stellar populations in galaxies through the GalIMF code. This initiative is set to illuminate the intricate link between microscale star formation and macroscale galactic phenomena, with a direct implications for the universe's baryonic cycle and the synthesis of chemical elements. Among the hot topics we aim to focus on is the formation and evolution of high-mass galaxies from high-redshifts to the local Universe or addressing feedback mechanics in dwarf galaxies and the effect of variable stellar IMF.
Beyond its scientific contributions, this project aspires to create an open-source tool, by focusing on the development of the GalIMF code, that will serve the vast astronomical community and will be compatible with other computational tools. It aims to foster new collaborations by leveraging its multi-disciplinary nature, which uniquely bridges various astronomical scales and physical processes.