M16=NGC 6611, the Eagle Nebula, is a well studied region of star formation and the source of a widely recognized Hubble Space Telescope (HST) image. High spatial resolution infrared observations with the Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer (NICMOS) on HST reveal the detailed morphology of two embedded star formation regions that are heavily obscured at optical wavelengths. It is ...

Star complexes are the highest level groupings in the hierarchy of the embedded young stars, clusters and associations, which obey the size-age relation. Starburst clumps, superassociations, supergiant HII regions are different titles for the groupings of the same size as complexes but with active star formation over all the grouping. The coherent star formation in the regions of violent star f...

Subarcsecond infrared and radio observations yield important information about the formation of super star clusters from their surrounding gas. We discuss the general properties of ionized and molecular gas near young, forming SSCs, as illustrated by the prototypical young, forming super star cluster nebula in the dwarf galaxy NGC 5253. This super star cluster appears to have a gravitationally ...

We use simple analytic reasoning to identify physical processes that drive the evolution of the cosmic star formation rate, ρ̇?, in cold dark matter universes. Based on our analysis, we formulate a model to characterise the redshift dependence of ρ̇? and compare it to results obtained from a set of hydrodynamic simulations which include star formation and feedback. We find that the cosmic star fo...

Through existing studies of star-forming regions, Spitzer has created rich databases which have already profoundly influenced our ability to understand the star and planet formation process on micro and macro scales. However, it is essential to note that Spitzer observations to date have focused largely on deep observations of regions of recent star formation associated directly with well-known...

We explore a model in which efficient star formation in galaxies is triggered by merging satellites. We show that the merger/interaction rates predicted by hierarchical galaxy formation models depend strongly on galaxy mass. If a merger of a satellite larger than 1% the mass of the primary triggers efficient star formation, low-mass dwarf galaxies experience strong bursts separated by quiescent...

I address the issue of dust and gas as seeds for metal-poor star formation by reviewing what we know about star formation in nearby dwarf galaxies and its relationship to the gas and dust. I (try to) speculate on the extent to which processes in nearby galaxies mimic star formation in the early universe.

We review current understanding of star formation, outlining an overall theoretical framework and the observations that motivate it. A conception of star formation has emerged in which turbulence plays a dual role, both creating overdensities to initiate gravitational contraction or collapse, and countering the effects of gravity in these overdense regions. The key dynamical processes involved ...

Starting with the assertion that the problem of isolated, single star formation is essentially solved, this paper examines some of the missing steps needed to go from there to understanding the star formation history of the Universe. Along the way, some results on the formation of star clusters in the Milky Way and the properties of GMCs in nearby galaxies are briefly examined.

How do networks form and what is their ultimate topology? Most of the literature that addresses these questions assumes complete information: agents know in advance the value of linking to other agents, even with agents they have never met and with whom they have had no previous interaction (direct or indirect). This paper addresses the same questions under what seems to us to be the much more ...