The Interstellar Medium Stars and the interstellar medium are the two components of the Galaxy, and they have a close and intricate relationship.
Stars form out of clouds of gas and dust.
The Canadian Galactic Plane Survey, for which Martin serves as a scientific director, is conducting an HI and continuum radio survey at 1 arc minute resolution. Much of the ISM-related research at CITA focusses on the process of star formation. Magnetic fields play a crucial role in determining the structure of these objects and in the dynamics of their eventual collapse. Their model features powerful bipolar outflows that develop as material collapses onto the protostellar object forming at the centre. The jets drive away material that might otherwise fall onto the protostar, and the combined effect of the jets from multiple protostars acts to destroy the molecular cloud in which they all reside.