Low-mass Star Formation: Observations

TL;DR

This paper reviews recent observational data on low-mass star formation, addressing key questions about where stars form, the initial mass function, process timescales, efficiency, theoretical explanations, star and disk development, and chemical changes.

Contribution

It synthesizes recent observational findings into a coherent overview of low-mass star formation, highlighting what is known and identifying open questions.

Findings

Locations of star formation in molecular clouds

Insights into the initial mass function

Timescales and efficiency of star formation

Abstract

I briefly review recent observations of regions forming low mass stars. The discussion is cast in the form of seven questions that have been partially answered, or at least illuminated, by new data. These are the following: where do stars form in molecular clouds; what determines the IMF; how long do the steps of the process take; how efficient is star formation; do any theories explain the data; how are the star and disk built over time; and what chemical changes accompany star and planet formation. I close with a summary and list of open questions.