Publisher's Synopsis
Stars are the fundamental objects of the Cosmos. They are the homes of planetary systems and they provide the energy necessary for the development and maintenance of life. The evolution of stars drives the evolution of all stellar systems including clusters and galaxies. Stellar Evolution also controls the chemical evolution of the universe. Star formation occurs as a result of the action of gravity on a wide range of scales, and different mechanisms may be significant on different scales, depending on the forces contrasting gravity. On galactic scales, the tendency of interstellar matter to condense under gravity into star-forming clouds is counteracted by galactic tidal forces, and star formation can happen only where the gas becomes dense enough for its self-gravity to overcome these tidal forces, for example in spiral arms. On the intermediate scales of star-forming 'giant molecular clouds' (GMCs), turbulence and magnetic fields may be the most important effects counteracting gravity, and star formation may involve the degeneracy of turbulence and magnetic fields. On the small scales of individual prestellar cloud cores, thermal pressure becomes the most important force resisting gravity, and it sets a minimum mass that a cloud core must have to collapse under gravity to form stars. This volume entitled The Formation of Stars Principles and Processes brings together research and reviews understanding of the physical processes of star formation, with emphasis on processes occurring in molecular clouds like those observed nearby. It is also important to understand the formation of binary systems because many important astrophysical processes, including the formation of various kinds of exotic objects, involve the interactions of stars in binary systems. The most massive stars form in the densest environments by processes that are not yet well understood but may include violent interactions and mergers. The formation of the most massive stars may have similarities to the formation and growth of massive black holes in very dense environments. This volume serves as valuable guide to advanced graduate students, practitioners, as well as researchers.
