Observations at infrared and radio wavelengths show how the interstellar medium (ISM) forms filamentary clouds that fragment into cloud cores, giving birth to new stars. However, star formation (SF) is a very complex process that results from the interaction of gravity, turbulence, magnetic fields, and even further factors. There are many open questions and even strongly opposing views concerning the dominant forces at different size scales and in different Galactic environments. SF processes also affect the ISM components: gas shows systematic chemical evolution and the size and optical properties of dust grains undergo profound changes. These affect all observations. We will investigate Galactic SF by combining observations from world-leading instruments with detailed numerical modelling. With synthetic observations obtained with radiative transfer calculations, we will compare models to observations, bringing new light on SF processes from cloud scales to the scale of protostars.

2022

2026