The interstellar medium reveals many impressive features commonly known as 'pillars' or 'globules'. These features, seen with the Hubble Space telescope, Spitzer, and Herschel, are formed due to photoevaporation in the interface between a molecular cloud and an HII region, and thus intimately linked to high-mass star formation. The processes how these pillars are created and under which conditions low- or high-mass stars form within them are not clear.
To better understand pillar and globule formation, I started a large project in 2010, combining observations and theory. Imaging and spectroscopy observations were obtained using Herschel, Spitzer, and ground-based radiotelescopes. The idea is to study the physical properties of pillars and globules (mass, temperature, velocity structure), investigate their stellar content, and develop a theoretical model how pillars and globules can form. The project is a collaborative effort between the institutes in Bordeaux, CEA Saclay, University of Cologne, and many others.
Our study focus on the molecular clouds of Cygnus, Rosette, and M16 that show impressive examples of naiscent and evolved pillars and globules. Data are already taken with Herschel, SOFIA, MOPRA and other facilities and first results from these observations and modelling are published.
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Djupvik, A.A., Comeron, F., Schneider, N., 2017, A&A, 599, 37, Globules and pillars in Cygnus X II. Massive star formation in the globule IRAS 20319+3958
Schneider, N., Bontemps, S., Motte, F., et al., 2016, A&A, 591, 40 Globules and pillars in Cygnus X I. Herschel Far-infrared imaging of the Cyg OB2 environment
Tremblin, P., Minier, V., Schneider, N. et al., 2013, A&A, 560, 19, Pillars and globules at the edges of HII regions. Confronting Herschel observations and numerical simulations
Tremblin, P., Audit, E., Minier, V., Schmidt, W., Schneider, N. 2012, A&A, 546, 33, Three-dimensional simulations of globule and pillar formation around HII regions: turbulence and shock curvature
Schneider, N., Güsten, R., Tremblin, P., et al., 2012, A&A, 542, L18, Globules and pillars seen in the [CII] 158 μm line with SOFIA
Hill, T., Motte, F., Didelon, P., White, et al., 2012, A&A, 542, 114, The M 16 molecular complex under the influence of NGC 6611. Herschel's perspective of the heating effect on the Eagle Nebula
Tremblin, P., Audit, E., Minier, V., & Schneider, N. 2012, A&A, 538, 31, 3D simulations of pillar formation around HII regions: the importance of shock curvature