Multiple star formation: chemistry, physics and coevality

Murillo Mejias, N.M.

Multiple stars, that is two or more stars composing a gravitationally bound system, are common in the universe.They are the cause of many interesting phenomena, from supernovae and planetary nebulae, to binary black hole mergers. Observations of main sequence stars, young stars and forming protostars show that multiplicity is common, and that multiple stars are born. This thesis focuses on several of the open questions on the formation and evolution of multiple stars, namely when do rotationally supported disks form, the factors leading to fragmentation of the cloud core and the physico-chemical structure of multiple protostars. For this purpose, radio interferometric observations of dust continuum and molecular line emission, coupled with chemical and physical models are used to study several young, deeply embedded prototstars. The results of this thesis contribute useful pieces to the puzzle of multiple star formation, demonstrating that rotationally supported disks can form...Show moreMultiple stars, that is two or more stars composing a gravitationally bound system, are common in the universe.They are the cause of many interesting phenomena, from supernovae and planetary nebulae, to binary black hole mergers. Observations of main sequence stars, young stars and forming protostars show that multiplicity is common, and that multiple stars are born. This thesis focuses on several of the open questions on the formation and evolution of multiple stars, namely when do rotationally supported disks form, the factors leading to fragmentation of the cloud core and the physico-chemical structure of multiple protostars. For this purpose, radio interferometric observations of dust continuum and molecular line emission, coupled with chemical and physical models are used to study several young, deeply embedded prototstars. The results of this thesis contribute useful pieces to the puzzle of multiple star formation, demonstrating that rotationally supported disks can form early in the star formation process, while temperature and the presence of disks can alter the physico-chemical protostellar structure. Furthermore, the results of this thesis indicate that mass, rather than temperature, could be an important factor in fragmentation of cloud cores, and the formation of multiple stars.Show less

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Multiple star formation: chemistry, physics and coevality