Observational studies of massive star formation (2)

Leeds is one of the leading institutes in the in the observational study of massive star formation. We have specific interests in the near infrared, radio and mm properties, since these can probe the disc around the young star, as well as the jets and winds it generates. These markers help us to understand how massive stars form.

This project seeks to develop modern statistical techniques in order to characterise star formation regions.  This is an extension of the work this group has carried out as part of our EU funded StarFormMapper project.  The aim is to enhance existing techniques, whether drawn from astronomy or other fields such as geostatistics, as well as to develop new methods.  The data to be studied will include those from the Gaia satellite, as well as other space based and ground based surveys, and will aim to determine which methods are the best at comparing what we see in real life with the outputs from simulations.