Research Interests
My major research interests are- Star formation
- Millimetre and Submillimetre astrophysics
- Molecular Astrophysics and Astrochemistry
- the properties and evolution of young high mass stars and their environments,
- infrared dark clouds and the stars they are forming,
- the protostellar population and structure of the Perseus cloud,
- the chemical properties of bipolar outflows,
- tracers of the molecular gas in superstar clusters and other galaxies, and in a somewhat different area,
- the molecular circumstellar material in planetary nebulae
- Spitzer Dark Cloud
Survey (Website)
This is a survey to identify and study the properties of the cold dense regions in molecular clouds which are seen in absorption against the diffuse infrared background. As well as the clouds we are also studying the very young stars found in them. The goal is to understand how the these clumps evolve to form stellar clusters and massive stars. - MALT-90 Survey (Website)
Using a telescope in Australia, this survey is studying the molecular emission from 3000 star forming clumps in the Galactic plane. Each clump is mapped in 16 different molecular transitions. I am currently leading the study of the kinematic of the clumps, looking for signatures in the molecular line emission of infall, outflow and rotation. - HiGAL Survey
(Website)
Hi-GAL is the Herschel Space Observatory Open Time Key-Project to map the emission from the dust in the inner Galaxy. It will provide a huge dataset tracing the cold component of the interstellar medium include the star forming regions and infrared dark clouds which are my primary interest in this survey. - JCMT
Spectral Legacy Survey (Website)
This is a survey I am leading to study the structure, composition and evolution of the molecular gas in star forming regions. The goal is to understand how the emission from molecules can be used to understand the physical processes involved in the formation and early evolution of stars. - JCMT Plane
Survey (Website)
By mapping the plane of our Galaxy at 850 microns using SCUBA2 on JCMT, this survey will identify the cool dust associated with high mass star forming regions. The survey will produce a galaxy-wide catalogue high mass star forming regions which will be used to study the physics of high mass star formation and the effects young high mass stars have on their environment. - JCMT Gould's
Belt Survey (Website)
To study the local star formation and investigate the physics of the formation of low mass stars, this survey is mapping both the dust and gas in the nearby regions of star formation. - Methanol
Maser Multi-Beam Survey (Website)
Unlike the other common types of interstellar masers, methanol masers are only associated with young high mass stars. Using a specially constructed seven beam receiver, this survey is mapping the Galactic plane to identify new maser sources. The early indications are that this survey will more than double the number of known methanol masers. - The
SCUBA-2 "All-Sky" Survey (Website)
The SCUBA-2 "All-Sky" Survey, or SASSy, is a JCMT Legacy Survey project designed to exploit the rapid mapping capability of SCUBA-2 to ultimately map the entire sky visible from the JCMT to an angular resolution of 14" at 850 B5m. The benefits of such a wide-field survey are many, ranging from a complete census of infrared dark clouds (IRDCs), massive cores which may be precursors to the formation of high mass stars, to the potential discovery of some of the most luminous high-redshift galaxies in the Universe.
Recent Papers
These are links to some of my recent publications:- A Statistical Study of the Mass and Density Structure of Infrared Dark Clouds
Peretto, N., Fuller, G. A. 2010 - The initial conditions of stellar protocluster formation. I. A catalogue of Spitzer dark clouds
Peretto, N., Fuller, G. A. 2009 - The circumstellar environment of high mass protostellar objects. III. Evidence of infall?
Fuller, G. A., Williams, S. J., Sridharan, T. K., 2006 - Star formation in Perseus. Clusters, filaments and the conditions for star formation
Hatchell, J., Richer, J. S., Fuller, G. A., Qualtrough, C. J., Ladd, E. F., Chandler, C. J., 2005 - The Direct Detection of a (Proto)Binary/Disk System in IRAS 20126+4104
Sridharan, T. K., Williams, S. J., Fuller, G. A., 2005
Recent Posters
Here are pdf copies of some posters I have presented at recent meetings:- Poster about depletion and the evolution of high mass protostars presented at ALMA Conference in Madrid, November 2006
- Poster about the massive expanding torus in the planetary nebula NGC6302 presented at ALMA Conference in Madrid, November 2006
- Spectral Legacy Survey Poster presented at ALMA Conference in Madrid, November 2006
- Spectral Legacy Survey Poster presented at Protostars and Planets V Conference in Hawaii, November 2005
If you are interested in these areas I have a number of possible projects for students from third year undergraduates to PhD projects.
Here is a short presentation of star formation which I put together awhile ago for an open day here. (It needs updating.)
Want to see a typical night's observing on JCMT (plus some views out of the window? Here's a view from the JCMT webcam.
Last modified:Friday, 31-Dec-2010 21:24:40 GMT