Characterizing the mechanisms of massive star formation

• Grant number: 08/07552-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: August 01, 2009
• End date: January 31, 2011
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Astronomy - Stellar Astrophysics
• Principal Investigator: Cássio Leandro Dal Ri Barbosa
• Grantee: Danilo Maciel Lopes Gusmão
• Host Institution: Instituto de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento (IP&D). Universidade do Vale do Paraíba (UNIVAP). São José dos Campos , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 06/02467-0 - The formation of high mass stars, AP.JP

Abstract

Nearly two thousand massive stars live in our Galaxy, all of them challenging the star formation theory that forbids the growth of a star beyond 10 solar masses. This project will study and discuss the formation of massive stars under the light of both current theories: the coalescence of low mass stars and the classic scenario of star formation via accretion disk. The necessary conditions to occur both scenarios will be discussed, putting the cases of accretion disks already known in the context. The final dissertation of this project will present also a list of clusters with massive star formation that shows conditions supporting the coalescence scenario and those which shows some observational evidence of present or past star formation by coalescence.