Place: 4421 Sterling Hall, Coffee and cookies are served at 3:30 PM, Talk begins at 3:45 PM
Speaker: Sarah Sadavoy, Harvard CfA
Abstract: Star formation is a multi-scale problem and there are numerous observational and theoretical challenges to connect large molecular clouds that span several parsecs to the planet-forming disks around young stars with sizes of ~ 100 au. I bridge the astrophysical processes seen across these widely different scales using observations of interstellar dust and gas. This presentation focuses on my recent observations of cloud structure from the Herschel Space Observatory and dust polarization with the ALMA interferometer. In particular, my ALMA observations represent the first unbiased survey of dust polarization in young protostellar disks and probe both magnetic fields and dust grain growth at early protostar stages. I also describe my future goals using new and existing facilities to answer fundamental questions about the formation of both stars and planets.