New international project on “The formation and evolution of the first stellar clusters”

The theory group in the astronomy department of the Universidad de Concepción (Prof. Dr. M. Fellhauer and Prof. Dr. D. Schleicher) has received funding for an international project on “The formation and evolution of the first stellar clusters” (Concurso Proyectos Internacionales de Investigación, Convocatoria 2015). The project aims to explore the formation of the first stellar clusters, forming about 100 million years after the Big Bang. A central goal is to explore the impact of metals and dust on the fragmentation of star-forming clouds, to understand the typical stellar masses in the first clusters as well as their overall properties. For this purpose, the group will pursue high-resolution hydrodynamical simulations including the modeling of chemistry and cooling.

The project will be carried out in collaboration with Hamburg Observatory over a timescale of three years, and provides funding for travel, stipends for students as well as a postdoctoral researcher. Applications for the position available in the project can be sent to Prof. Dr. Dominik Schleicher