Star Formation: Chemistry as a Probe of Embedded Protostars

Abstract

The embedded phase of star formation is the crucial phase where most of the stellar mass is assembled. Velocity-resolved spectra reveal an infalling envelope, bipolar outflows, and perhaps an infant circumstellar disk -- all locked together in a cosmic dance of gravitational collapse and magnetic winds. Densities and temperatures change by orders of magnitude as the protostar evolves, driving a chemistry as exotic as it is fascinating. I will review two examples of how to exploit chemistry and molecular spectroscopy to study the physics of low-mass star formation: energetic feedback and episodic accretion.

13 pages, 5 figures; to appear in the proceedings for the Frank N. Bash Symposium 2013: New Horizons in Astronomy, held October 6-8, 2013 in Austin, TX