SEMINAIRE DU CAMPUS PARISIEN
Robert C. Kennicutt
(University of Cambridge)
Star Formation in the Desert: Probing the Low-Density Extreme
Over the past decade multi-wavelength observations have revealed the
extraordinary ubiquity and diversity of star formation in galaxies,
ranging over billionfold ranges in star formation rates (SFRs), whether
expressed in absolute terms, or in terms of areally or mass-normalised
SFRs. Considerable attention has been focussed on the high-density
extremes in starbursts and galactic nuclei, but much can be learned as
well from star formation in low-density regimes-- in the outermost discs
of spiral galaxies, and in early-type galaxies, low surface brightness
galaxies, and extreme dwarf galaxies. This talk will highlight recent
observations of star formation in these disparate environments, and
examine the common behaviours and physical clues that they reveal.