Star formation is a process that spans a range of scales. It includes
galactic-wide mechanisms that regulate the production rate
of newborn stars within the disk of galaxies.
It also considers the dynamics within
molecular clouds that spawn the high density proto-stellar and
proto-cluster
cores from which new stars directly condense. Magnetic fields and
turbulent phenomena may play significant roles in these events.
Our understanding of the star formation
rests on accurate theoretical and observational descriptions of
these roles.
I will
review observations and techniques that have improved our
perspective of cloud structure and kinematics as these relate to
star formation process. The summary will include:
1) the derived spatial statistics of column density images
2) quantitative constraints to the velocity spectrum of turbulence and the
spatial scale, if any, at which turbulent motions are stirred.
3) indirect (non-Zeeman) measures of the magnetic field strength within
molecular regions.
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