STAR FORMATION IS DYNAMIC AND IMPORTANT IN THE MILKY WAY. LOW-MASS STARS OFFER A WINDOW INTO THE EARLY FORMATION OF PLANETS AND SOLAR SYSTEMS WHILE HIGH-MASS STARS DRIVE FEEDBACK LOOPS AFFECTING STAR FORMATION RATES AND CHEMICAL ENRICHMENT LARGELY DUE TO THEIR HIGH LUMINOSITIES. HOWEVER OUR KNOWLEDGE OF HIGH-MASS STAR FORMATION IS LESS DEVELOPED BECAUSE HIGH-MASS REGIONS ARE FARTHER AWAY AND MORE DIFFICULT TO STUDY. SOFIA AND OTHER NEW TELESCOPES ARE LEADING TO DRAMATIC IMPROVEMENTS IN OUR UNDERSTANDING OF HIGH-MASS STAR FORMATION. IN RECENT WORK WE DEVELOPED A ROBUST METHOD FOR DETERMINING PROTOSTAR LUMINOSITY THAT RELIES SOLELY ON SOFIA FORCAST DATA AND SOURCE DISTANCE NOT REQUIRING EXTENSIVE ANCILLARY INFORMATION SUCH AS SOURCE INCLINATION AND FULL WAVELENGTH COVERAGE OF THE SPECTRAL ENERGY DISTRIBUTION. HOWEVER THE METHOD WAS DEVELOPED IN THE CONTEXT OF LOW-MASS PROTOSTARS. IN THIS WORK WE PROPOSE TO EXTEND THE METHOD TO INCLUDE HIGH-MASS PROTOSTARS EXTRACT FORCAST IMAGING OBSERVATIONS OF PROTOSTARS FROM THE SOFIA ARCHIVE AND PRODUCE A SOFIA ARCHIVE PROTOSTAR CATALOG (SAPC) THAT IS POPULATED WITH RELIABLE PROTOSTAR FLUXES AND LUMINOSITIES.

University Of Maryland, College Park, College Park MD

Investigators