It can be argued that the astrophysical quest for our origins rests on two pillars: the formation of large structures into galaxies and the formation of stellar systems. The interstellar medium (ISM) is at the heart of this quest, as the initial conditions of protostellar and protoplanetary disks are directly inherited from the ISM, which, in turn, transmits numerous feedback mechanisms from massive stars or energetic events that punctuate the life cycle of galaxies.
Research conducted by the Laboratory for Star Formation and Interstellar Medium (LFEMI) at AIM enables a coherent and self-consistent study of the ISM as a highly heterogeneous, dynamic, magnetized, and multi-phase fabric, whose signatures are detected across multiple wavelengths and at very different spatial scales. This translates directly into diversified observation techniques and a wide range of models and simulations with similar ingredients but specific and complementary focuses.
LFEMI's overarching questions include:
- When and how do the first seeds of protoplanets form?
- What are the fundamental and universal laws of star formation?
- What is the role of the ISM as a tracer/actor of physical processes in the Milky Way and external galaxies?
