Grant: Discovery Grants Program - Individual

We are entering an era of unprecedented resolution and/or sensitivity in observations and numerical simulations of star and planet formation. Our group offers a synthesis of computational modeling, theoretical knowledge and insight, and interpretation of observational data in order to answer key questions about star, disk, and planet formation. Over the five year period of this grant, we will move forward in four key areas; (1) a synthesis of new theoretical circumstellar disk models of increasing realism with new sensitive high-resolution observations, in order to understand disk origins and masses; (2) modeling of the formation of the first collapsed objects in the universe, in anticipation of upcoming sensitive high-redshift observations; (3) characterization of magnetic field and density structure within interstellar molecular clouds through a comparison of observations with synthetic maps made from increasingly realistic simulations, in order to understand filamentary structure, velocity coherence at small scales, and low star formation efficiency in low density regions; (4) characterization of the initial mass function of stars and substellar objects through mathematical models and observations of resolved stellar populations in nearby galaxies. We have many international collaborations in place and expect to participate actively in the astronomical community to contribute new insights into structure formation in the universe. **