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VERSION:2.0
CALSCALE:GREGORIAN
PRODID:UW-Madison-Physics-Events
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SEQUENCE:0
UID:UW-Physics-Event-4052
DTSTART:20160419T170000Z
DTEND:20160419T180000Z
DTSTAMP:20260307T052451Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20160122T154555Z
LOCATION:4421 Sterling Hall
SUMMARY:A Philosophically-Informed Appraisal of the Schmidt-Sanduleak 
 Law of Star Formation:  "Not Even Wrong"\, Astronomy Colloquium\, Barr
 y F. Madore\, Carnegie Observatories and Dept of Astronomy & Astrophys
 ics University of Chicago
DESCRIPTION:Galaxy evolution simulations depend critically upon modeli
 ng star<br>
\nformation\; however\, astronomy does not yet have a "fir
 st principles"theory of star formation. One of the most influential pa
 rametric descriptions of star formation is the so-called "Schmidt Law"
 \, which supposes that the rate of star formation is properly describe
 d as a power-law function of the local gas density. I will discuss the
  popular appeal of the Schmidt Law among galaxy modelers\, as well as 
 its observational and conceptual support. But I will then step back an
 d adopt a philosophically-informed stance and make the case that the r
 ather uncritical acceptance of this "law" for more than half a century
  thwarted a more straightforward\, and physically more meaningful inte
 rpretation of the empirical data that is now in hand. Viewed and inter
 preted in the context of cyclical autocatalytic)reaction network I wil
 l present new data and new conclusions on the rate of star formation i
 n galaxies deriving explicitly the timescales involved in the cyclical
  process of star formation and the efficiencies involved in converting
  gas into stars.
URL:https://www.physics.wisc.edu/events/?id=4052
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