Shanghai Astronomical Observatory Astrophysics Colloquium

Title:Peering into the heart of massive star formation

Speaker:Prof. Yichen Zhang (Shanghai Jiao Tong University)

Time: 3:00 PM, Thursday, May 28th

Tencent Meeting:46822606747 password: 6360

Location: Lecture Hall, 3rd floor

Abstract：High-mass stars play pivotal roles in various astronomical phenomena: they are the main tracers of star formation in the Universe, the primary source of heavy elements, and the progenitors of supernovae, neutron stars, and black holes. They form dominantly in dense clustered environments and impact the formation of low-mass stars and planets. The formation of massive stars, however, are far from understood. In this talk, I will present our recent efforts in observational studies of massive star formation, in particular with high-resolution observations of ALMA and JWST. These studies reveal the accretion and feedback processes in massive star formation with great details. More specifically I will talk about how massive binary/multiple systems form, and massive protostellar disk search and the unique dust and gas chemical characteristics associated with them. In general, our results show quite ordered behaviors of accretion from larger scale to the 10 au scale around massive protostars. Our results show the importance of using different tracers, including different types of molecular and recombination lines, in deciphering the dynamics of the innermost region of massive star formation.

CV：Yichen Zhang is a Tenure-track Associate Professor at the Department of Astronomy in Shanghai Jiao Tong University. He received his B.S from Tsinghua University in 2008 and Ph.D. from University of Florida in 2013. He was then Yale/University of Chile Joint Postdoctoral fellow from 2013 to 2016, RIKEN Special Postdoctoral Researcher from 2016 to 2021, and postdoc in University of Virginia, before joining Shanghai Jiao Tong University in 2023.