High-Mass Star Formation, From Large to Small Scales in the Era of Herschel & ALMA
Start date: 21 Jan 2013
Address: Lorentz Center@Oort, Niels Bohrweg 2, Leiden, Netherlands
Studies of high mass star forming regions have greatly benefitted from advancements in instrumentation over the last decade, and continue to push current and upcoming facilities in terms of resolving power and sensitivity. Studying the formation of high mass stars provides a bridge between studies of lower mass star formation in our Galaxy, and star formation in external galaxies since it is the massive stars that are observable in external galaxies, and the existence of lower mass protostars is inferred from the presence of high mass ones. With Herschel results from both individual studies and surveys beginning to be released, this is an important time to consider both the progress made in understanding high-mass star formation and the new questions which have arisen as a result of recent work. ALMA will play a key role in answering these, and with the facility due to reach its full capabilities soon, now is a good time to coordinate the large scale goals of the community.