Professor Paul Clark
Head of Astronomy Group
- Available for postgraduate supervision
Overview
I am a Professor in the School of Physics and Astronomy. On this site you will details of the courses I teach, and information about my research (papers, talks, movies, etc).
The focus of my research is to understand how stars form, and what physical conditions are responsible for setting their properties. In the tabs above, you will find an overview of my work to date, as well as news of recent and upcoming papers.
Most of my work involves numerical simulations, such as shown in the image below, and involve a wide range of physics, such as self-gravity, fluid dynamics, thermodynamics, and the transport of radiation. Modelling all these physical processes is extremely computationally demanding and so we need to run the simulations at large supercomputing facilities such as DiRAC in the UK, as well as abroad, in the Juelich Supercomputing Centre and the Leibniz-Rechnungszentrum (both in Germany) and Texas Advanced Computing Center (USA). Please take a look at my research page for a more detailed overview of what I do.
If you have any questions about studying Physics/Astrophysics at Cardiff University, are interested in applying for a PhD with me, or simply want to chat about my research, please feel free to contact me!
Publication
2025
- Whitworth, D. J. et al. 2025. Do stars still form in molecular gas within CO-dark dwarf galaxies?. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 536(3), pp. 2936–2955. (10.1093/mnras/stae2759)
- Cusack, M. T., Clark, P. C., Glover, S. C. O., Klessen, R. S., Girichidis, P., Whitworth, A. P. and Priestley, F. D. 2025. The fragmentation of molecular clouds in starburst environments. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 536(4), pp. 3518–3536. (10.1093/mnras/stae2812)
2024
- Priestley, F. D., Clark, P. C., Glover, S. C. O., Ragan, S. E., Feher, O., Prole, L. R. and Klessen, R. S. 2024. NEATH III: A molecular line survey of a simulated star-forming cloud. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 531(4), pp. 4408–4421. (10.1093/mnras/stae1442)
- Durán-Camacho, E. et al. 2024. Self-consistent modelling of the Milky Way structure using live potentials. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 532(1), pp. 126-148. (10.1093/mnras/stae1469)
- Fehér, O., Ragan, S. E., Priestley, F. D., Clark, P. C. and Moore, T. J. T. 2024. N2H+(1–0) as a tracer of dense gas in and between spiral arms. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 530(2), pp. 1311–1327. (10.1093/mnras/stae918)
- Prole, L. R., Regan, J. A., Glover, S. C. O., Klessen, R. S., Priestley, F. D. and Clark, P. C. 2024. Heavy black hole seed formation in high-z atomic cooling halos. Astronomy & Astrophysics 685, article number: A31. (10.1051/0004-6361/202348903)
- Prole, L. R., Clark, P. C., Priestley, F. D., Glover, S. C. O. and Regan, J. A. 2024. Population III star formation: multiple gas phases prevent the use of an equation of state at high densities. The Open Journal of Astrophysics 7 (10.21105/astro.2310.10730)
2023
- Priestley, F. D., Clark, P. C., Glover, S. C. O., Ragan, S. E., Feher, O., Prole, L. R. and Klessen, R. S. 2023. NEATH – II. N2H+ as a tracer of imminent star formation in quiescent high-density gas. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 526(4), pp. 4952–4960. (10.1093/mnras/stad3089)
- Priestley, F. D., Clark, P. C., Glover, S. C. O., Ragan, S. E., Feher, O., Prole, L. R. and Klessen, R. S. 2023. Non-equilibrium abundances treated holistically (NEATH): the molecular composition of star-forming clouds. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 524(4), pp. 5971–5983. (10.1093/mnras/stad2278)
- Prole, L. R., Schauer, A. T. P., Clark, P. C., Glover, S. C. O., Priestley, F. D. and Klessen, R. S. 2023. From dark matter halos to pre-stellar cores: High resolution follow-up of cosmological Lyman-Werner simulations. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 520(2), pp. 2081-2093. (10.1093/mnras/stad188)
- Priestley, F. D., Clark, P. C. and Whitworth, A. P. 2023. Do simulated molecular clouds look like real ones?. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 519(4), pp. 6392–6400. (10.1093/mnras/stad150)
- Hunter, G. H., Clark, P. C., Glover, S. C. O. and Klessen, R. S. 2023. Towards the impact of GMC collisions on the star formation rate. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 519(3), pp. 4152–4170. (10.1093/mnras/stac3751)
2022
- Buckner, A. S. M., Khorrami, Z., González, M., Lumsden, S. L., Clark, P. and Moraux, E. 2022. The spatial evolution of young massive clusters III. Effect of the Gaia filter on 2D spatial distribution studies. Astronomy & Astrophysics 659, article number: A72. (10.1051/0004-6361/202140902)
- Prole, L. R., Clark, P. C., Klessen, R. S. and Glover, S. C. O. 2022. Fragmentation-induced starvation in Population III star formation: a resolution study. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 510(3), pp. 4019–4030. (10.1093/mnras/stab3697)
2021
- Treß, R. G. et al. 2021. Simulations of the star-forming molecular gas in an interacting M51-like galaxy: cloud population statistics. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 505(4), pp. 5438-5459. (10.1093/mnras/stab1683)
- Khorrami, Z. et al. 2021. High-contrast and resolution near-infrared photometry of the core of R136. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 503(1), pp. 292-311. (10.1093/mnras/stab388)
- Khorrami, Z. et al. 2021. Extreme adaptive optics astrometry of R136. Astronomy and Astrophysics 649, article number: L8. (10.1051/0004-6361/202140668)
- González, M. et al. 2021. S2D2: Small-scale Significant substructure DBSCAN Detection I. NESTs detection in 2D star-forming regions. Astronomy and Astrophysics 647, article number: A14. (10.1051/0004-6361/202038123)
- Izquierdo, A. F. et al. 2021. The Cloud Factory II: gravoturbulent kinematics of resolved molecular clouds in a galactic potential. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 500(4), pp. 5268-5296., article number: staa3470. (10.1093/mnras/staa3470)
- Eden, D. J. et al. 2021. Characteristic scale of star formation. I. Clump formation efficiency on local scales. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 500(1), pp. 191-210. (10.1093/mnras/staa3188)
- Clark, P. C. and Whitworth, A. P. 2021. On the emergent system mass function: the contest between accretion and fragmentation. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 500(2), pp. 1697–1707. (10.1093/mnras/staa3176)
2020
- Tress, R. G. et al. 2020. Simulations of the Milky Way’s central molecular zone – I. Gas dynamics. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 499(3), pp. 4455-4478. (10.1093/mnras/staa3120)
- Eden, D. J. et al. 2020. CHIMPS2: survey description and 12CO emission in the Galactic centre. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 498(4), pp. 5936-5951. (10.1093/mnras/staa2734)
- Sormani, M. C. et al. 2020. Simulations of the Milky Way’s central molecular zone - II. Star formation. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 497(4), pp. 5204-5040. (10.1093/mnras/staa1999)
- Wollenberg, K. M. J., Glover, S. C. O., Clark, P. C. and Klessen, R. S. 2020. Formation sites of Population III star formation: The effects of different levels of rotation and turbulence on the fragmentation behavior of primordial gas. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 494(2), pp. 1871-1893. (10.1093/mnras/staa289/5721520)
- Buckner, A. S. M. et al. 2020. The spatial evolution of young massive clusters. II. Looking for imprints of star formation in NGC2264 with Gaia DR2. Astronomy and Astrophysics 636, article number: A80. (10.1051/0004-6361/201936935)
- Smith, R. J. et al. 2020. The Cloud Factory I: Generating resolved filamentary molecular clouds from galactic-scale forces. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 492(2), pp. 1594-1613. (10.1093/mnras/stz3328)
- Tress, R. G., Smith, R. J., Sormani, M. C., Glover, S. C. O., Klessen, R. S., Mac Low, M. and Clark, P. C. 2020. Simulations of the star-forming molecular gas in an interacting M51-like galaxy. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 492(2), pp. 2973-2995. (10.1093/mnras/stz3600)
2019
- Clark, P. C., Glover, S. C. O., Ragan, S. E. and Cabral, A. 2019. Tracing the formation of molecular clouds via [CII], [CI] and CO emission. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 486(4), pp. 4622-4637. (10.1093/mnras/stz1119)
- Sormani, M. C. et al. 2019. The geometry of the gas surrounding the Central Molecular Zone: on the origin of localized molecular clouds with extreme velocity dispersions. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 488(4), pp. 4663-4673. (10.1093/mnras/stz2054)
- Khorrami, Z. et al. 2019. A code to Make Your Own Synthetic ObservaTIonS (MYOSOTIS). Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 485(3), pp. 3124-3133. (10.1093/mnras/stz490)
- Buckner, A. S. et al. 2019. The spatial evolution of young massive clusters I. A new tool to quantitatively trace stellar clustering. Astronomy and Astrophysics 622, article number: A184. (10.1051/0004-6361/201832936)
- Soler, J. D. et al. 2019. Histogram of oriented gradients: a technique for the study of molecular cloud formation. Astronomy and Astrophysics 622, article number: A166. (10.1051/0004-6361/201834300)
2018
- Franeck, A. et al. 2018. Synthetic [C ii] emission maps of a simulated molecular cloud in formation. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 481(4), pp. 4277-4299. (10.1093/mnras/sty2507)
- Clarke, S. P. et al. 2018. Synthetic C18O observations of fibrous filaments: the problems of mapping from PPV to PPP. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 479(2), pp. 1722-1746. (10.1093/mnras/sty1675)
- Penaloza Cabrera, C., Clark, P., Glover, S. C. O. and Klessen, R. S. 2018. CO line ratios in molecular clouds: the impact of environment. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 475(2), pp. 1508-1520. (10.1093/mnras/stx3263)
2017
- Seifried, D. et al. 2017. SILCC-Zoom: the dynamic and chemical evolution of molecular clouds. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 472(4), pp. 4797-4818. (10.1093/mnras/stx2343)
- Hu, C., Naab, T., Glover, S. C. O., Walch, S. and Clark, P. 2017. Variable interstellar radiation fields in simulated dwarf galaxies: supernovae versus photoelectric heating. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 471(2), pp. 2151-2173. (10.1093/mnras/stx1773)
- Simpson, C. M. et al. 2017. The role of cosmic-ray pressure in accelerating galactic outflows. The Astrophysical Journal 827(2), article number: L29. (10.3847/2041-8205/827/2/L29)
- Peters, T. et al. 2017. The turbulent life of dust grains in the supernova-driven, multiphase interstellar medium. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 467(4), pp. 4322-4342. (10.1093/mnras/stx341)
- Cormier, D. et al. 2017. New ALMA constraints on the star-forming interstellar medium at low metallicity: a 50 pc view of the blue compact dwarf galaxy SBS 0335−052. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters 468(1), pp. L87-L91. (10.1093/mnrasl/slx034)
- Peñaloza, C. H., Clark, P. C., Glover, S. C. O., Shetty, R. and Klessen, R. S. 2017. Using CO line ratios to trace the physical properties of molecular clouds. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 465(2), pp. 2277-2285., article number: 2277. (10.1093/mnras/stw2892)
- Gatto, A. et al. 2017. The SILCC project - III. Regulation of star formation and outflows by stellar winds and supernovae. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 466(2), pp. 1903-1924. (10.1093/mnras/stw3209)
2016
- Bertelli Motta, C., Clark, P., Glover, S. C. O., Klessen, R. S. and Pasquali, A. 2016. The IMF as a function of supersonic turbulence. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 462(4), pp. 4171-4182. (10.1093/mnras/stw1921)
- Marsh, K., Ragan, S., Whitworth, A. P. and Clark, P. 2016. Evidence that widespread star formation may be underway in G0.253+016, 'The Brick'. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 461(1), pp. L16-L20. (10.1093/mnrasl/slw080)
- Hu, C., Naab, T., Walch, S., Glover, S. C. O. and Clark, P. C. 2016. Star formation and molecular hydrogen in dwarf galaxies: a non-equilibrium view. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 458(4), pp. 3528-3553. (10.1093/mnras/stw544)
- Glover, S. C. O. and Clark, P. C. 2016. Is atomic carbon a good tracer of molecular gas in metal-poor galaxies?. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 456(4), pp. 3596-3609. (10.1093/mnras/stv2863)
- Girichidis, P. et al. 2016. The SILCC (SImulating the LifeCycle of molecular Clouds) project – II. Dynamical evolution of the supernova-driven ISM and the launching of outflows. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 456(4), pp. 3432-3455. (10.1093/mnras/stv2742)
- Roman-Duval, J., Heyer, M., Brunt, C. M., Clark, P., Klessen, R. and Shetty, R. 2016. Distribution and mass of diffuse and dense CO gas in the Milky Way. The Astrophysical Journal 818(2), article number: 144. (10.3847/0004-637X/818/2/144)
- Bertram, E., Glover, S., Clark, P., Ragan, S. and Klessen, R. 2016. Synthetic observations of molecular clouds in a galactic centre environment - I. Studying maps of column density and integrated intensity. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 455(4), pp. 3763-3778. (10.1093/mnras/stv2619)
- Girichidis, P. et al. 2016. Launching cosmic-ray-driven outflows from the magnetized interstellar medium. Astrophysical Journal Letters 816(2), article number: L19. (10.3847/2041-8205/816/2/L19)
2015
- Walch, S. et al. 2015. The SILCC (SImulating the LifeCycle of molecular Clouds) project - I. Chemical evolution of the supernova-driven ISM. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 454(1), pp. 238-268. (10.1093/mnras/stv1975)
- Peters, T. et al. 2015. Impact of supernova and cosmic-ray driving on the surface brightness of the galactic halo in soft x-rays. Astrophysical Journal Letters 813(2), article number: L27. (10.1088/2041-8205/813/2/L27)
- Clark, P. and Glover, S. C. O. 2015. Does the CO-to-H2 conversion factor depend on the star formation rate?. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 452(2) (10.1093/mnras/stv1369)
- Bonifacio, P. et al. 2015. TOPoS II. On the bimodality of carbon abundance in CEMP stars Implications on the early chemical evolution of galaxies. Astronomy and Astrophysics 579, article number: A28. (10.1051/0004-6361/201425266)
- Dutta, J., Nath, B. B., Clark, P. and Klessen, R. S. 2015. The role of three-body H2 formation in the fragmentation of primordial gas. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 450(1), pp. 202-208. (10.1093/mnras/stv664)
- Gatto, A. et al. 2015. Modelling the supernova-driven ISM in different environments. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 449(1), pp. 1057-1075. (10.1093/mnras/stv324)
- Glover, S. C. O., Clark, P., Micic, M. and Molina, F. 2015. Modelling [C I] emission from turbulent molecular clouds. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 448(2), pp. 1607-1627. (10.1093/mnras/stu2699)
- Hartwig, T., Clark, P., Glover, S. C. O., Klessen, R. S. and Sasaki, M. 2015. A new approach to determine optically thick H2 cooling and its effect on primordial star formation. The Astrophysical Journal 799(2), pp. 114. (10.1088/0004-637X/799/2/114)
2014
- Clark, P. and Glover, S. C. O. 2014. On column density thresholds and the star formation rate. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 444(3), pp. 2396-2414. (10.1093/mnras/stu1589)
- Shetty, R., Clark, P. and Klessen, R. S. 2014. Interpreting the sub-linear Kennicutt-Schmidt relationship: the case for diffuse molecular gas. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 442(3), pp. 2208-2215. (10.1093/mnras/stu919)
- Smith, R. J., Glover, S. C. O., Clark, P. C., Klessen, R. S. and Springel, V. 2014. CO-dark gas and molecular filaments in Milky Way-type galaxies. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 441(2), pp. 1628-1645. (10.1093/mnras/stu616)
2013
- Clark, P., Glover, S. C. O., Ragan, S., Shetty, R. and Klessen, R. S. 2013. On the temperature structure of the galactic center cloud G0.253+0.016. Astrophysical Journal Letters 768(2), article number: L34. (10.1088/2041-8205/768/2/L34)
- Shetty, R. et al. 2013. Indications of a sub-linear and non-universal Kennicutt-Schmidt relationship. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters 437(1), pp. L61-L65. (10.1093/mnrasl/slt156)
- Glover, S. C. O. and Clark, P. 2013. Molecular cooling in the diffuse interstellar medium. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 437(1), pp. 9-20. (10.1093/mnras/stt1809)
- Scholz, A., Geers, V., Clark, P., Jayawardhana, R. and Muzic, K. 2013. Substellar objects in nearby young clusters. VII. the substellar mass function revisited. Astrophysical Journal 775(2), pp. 138-148. (10.1088/0004-637X/775/2/138)
- Dopcke, G., Glover, S. C. O., Clark, P. and Klessen, R. S. 2013. On the initial mass function of low-metallicity stars: the importance of dust cooling. Astrophysical Journal 766(2), pp. 103-115. (10.1088/0004-637X/766/2/103)
- Caffau, E. et al. 2013. TOPoS. Astronomy and Astrophysics 560, pp. A71. (10.1051/0004-6361/201322488)
2012
- Klessen, R. S., Glover, S. C. O. and Clark, P. 2012. On the formation of very metal poor stars: the case of SDSS J1029151+172927. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 421(4), pp. 3217-3221. (10.1111/j.1365-2966.2012.20544.x)
- Greif, T. H. et al. 2012. Formation and evolution of primordial protostellar systems. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 424(1), pp. 399-415. (10.1111/j.1365-2966.2012.21212.x)
- Glover, S. C. O. and Clark, P. 2012. Is molecular gas necessary for star formation?. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 421(1), pp. 9-19. (10.1111/j.1365-2966.2011.19648.x)
- Glover, S. C. O. and Clark, P. 2012. Approximations for modelling CO chemistry in giant molecular clouds: a comparison of approaches. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 421(1), pp. 116-131. (10.1111/j.1365-2966.2011.20260.x)
- Glover, S. C. O. and Clark, P. 2012. Star formation in metal-poor gas clouds. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 426(1), pp. 377-388. (10.1111/j.1365-2966.2012.21737.x)
- Clark, P., Glover, S. C. O., Klessen, R. S. and Bonnell, I. A. 2012. How long does it take to form a molecular cloud?. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 424(4), pp. 2599-2613. (10.1111/j.1365-2966.2012.21259.x)
- Clark, P., Glover, S. C. O. and Klessen, R. S. 2012. TreeCol: a novel approach to estimating column densities in astrophysical simulations. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 420(1), pp. 745-756. (10.1111/j.1365-2966.2011.20087.x)
2011
- Veltchev, T. V., Klessen, R. S. and Clark, P. 2011. Stellar and substellar initial mass function: a model that implements gravoturbulent fragmentation and accretion. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 411(1), pp. 301-310. (10.1111/j.1365-2966.2010.17681.x)
- Turk, M. J., Clark, P., Glover, S. C. O., Greif, T. H., Abel, T., Klessen, R. and Bromm, V. 2011. Effects of varying the three-body molecular hydrogen formation rate in primordial star formation. Astrophysical Journal 726(1), pp. 55-66. (10.1088/0004-637X/726/1/55)
- Smith, R. J., Glover, S. C. O., Clark, P., Greif, T. and Klessen, R. S. 2011. The effects of accretion luminosity upon fragmentation in the early universe. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 414(4), pp. 3633-3644. (10.1111/j.1365-2966.2011.18659.x)
- Smith, R. J., Glover, S. C. O., Bonnell, I. A., Clark, P. and Klessen, R. S. 2011. A quantification of the non-spherical geometry and accretion of collapsing cores. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 411(2), pp. 1354-1366. (10.1111/j.1365-2966.2010.17775.x)
- Greif, T. H. et al. 2011. Simulations on a moving mesh: the clustered formation of population III protostars. Astrophysical Journal 737(2), pp. 75-92. (10.1088/0004-637X/737/2/75)
- Federrath, C., Banerjee, R., Seifried, D., Clark, P. and Klessen, R. S. 2011. Implementing and comparing sink particles in AMR and SPH. Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union 6(S270), pp. 425-428. (10.1017/S1743921311000755)
- Dopcke, G., Glover, S. C. O., Clark, P. and Klessen, R. S. 2011. The effect of dust cooling on low-metallicity star-forming clouds. Astrophysical Journal Letters 729(1), pp. L3. (10.1088/2041-8205/729/1/L3)
- Clark, P., Glover, S. C. O., Smith, R. J., Greif, T. H., Klessen, R. S. and Bromm, V. 2011. The formation and fragmentation of disks around primordial protostars. Science 331(6020), pp. 1040-1042. (10.1126/science.1198027)
- Clark, P., Glover, S. C. O., Klessen, R. S. and Bromm, V. 2011. Gravitational fragmentation in turbulent primordial gas and the initial mass function of population III stars. Astrophysical Journal 727(2), pp. 110-128. (10.1088/0004-637X/727/2/110)
- Bürzle, F., Clark, P., Stasyszyn, F., Greif, T., Dolag, K., Klessen, R. S. and Nielaba, P. 2011. Protostellar collapse and fragmentation using an MHD GADGET. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 412(1), pp. 171-186. (10.1111/j.1365-2966.2010.17896.x)
- Bürzle, F., Clark, P., Stasyszyn, F., Dolag, K. and Klessen, R. S. 2011. Protostellar outflows with smoothed particle magnetohydrodynamics. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters 417(1), pp. L61-L65. (10.1111/j.1745-3933.2011.01120.x)
- Bonnell, I. A., Smith, R. J., Clark, P. and Bate, M. R. 2011. The efficiency of star formation in clustered and distributed regions. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 410(4), pp. 2339-2346. (10.1111/j.1365-2966.2010.17603.x)
2010
- Federrath, C., Banerjee, R., Clark, P. and Klessen, R. S. 2010. Modeling collapse and accretion in turbulent gas clouds: implementation and comparison of sink particles in AMR and SPH. Astrophysical Journal 713(1), pp. 269-290. (10.1088/0004-637X/713/1/269)
2009
- Smith, R. J., Clark, P. and Bonnell, I. A. 2009. Fragmentation in molecular clouds and its connection to the IMF. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 396(2), pp. 830-841. (10.1111/j.1365-2966.2009.14794.x)
2008
- Smith, R. J., Clark, P. and Bonnell, I. A. 2008. The structure of molecular clouds and the universality of the clump mass function. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 391(3), pp. 1091-1099. (10.1111/j.1365-2966.2008.13970.x)
- Dobbs, C. L., Glover, S. C. O., Clark, P. and Klessen, R. S. 2008. The ISM in spiral galaxies: can cooling in spiral shocks produce molecular clouds?. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 389(3), pp. 1097-1110. (10.1111/j.1365-2966.2008.13646.x)
- Clark, P. and Klessen, R. 2008. The turbulent ISM and the stellar IMF. Astronomische Nachrichten 329(9-10), pp. 960-963. (10.1002/asna.200811050)
- Clark, P., Glover, S. C. O. and Klessen, R. S. 2008. The first stellar cluster. Astrophysical Journal 672(2), pp. 757-764. (10.1086/524187)
- Clark, P., Bonnell, I. A. and Klessen, R. S. 2008. The star formation efficiency and its relation to variations in the initial mass function. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 386(1), pp. 3-10. (10.1111/j.1365-2966.2008.13005.x)
- Bonnell, I. A., Clark, P. and Bate, M. R. 2008. Gravitational fragmentation and the formation of brown dwarfs in stellar clusters. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 389(4), pp. 1556-1562. (10.1111/j.1365-2966.2008.13679.x)
2007
- Dale, J. E., Clark, P. and Bonnell, I. A. 2007. Ionization-induced star formation - II. External irradiation of a turbulent molecular cloud. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 377(2), pp. 535-544. (10.1111/j.1365-2966.2007.11515.x)
- Clark, P., Klessen, R. S. and Bonnell, I. A. 2007. Clump lifetimes and the initial mass function. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 379(1), pp. 57-62. (10.1111/j.1365-2966.2007.11896.x)
2006
- Clark, P. and Bonnell, I. A. 2006. Clumpy shocks and the clump mass function. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 368(4), pp. 1787-1795. (10.1111/j.1365-2966.2006.10251.x)
2005
- Dobbs, C. L., Bonnell, I. A. and Clark, P. 2005. Centrally condensed turbulent cores: massive stars or fragmentation?. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 360(1), pp. 2-8. (10.1111/j.1365-2966.2005.08941.x)
- Clark, P., Bonnell, I. A., Zinnecker, H. and Bate, M. R. 2005. Star formation in unbound giant molecular clouds: the origin of OB associations?. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 359(3), pp. 809-818. (10.1111/j.1365-2966.2005.08942.x)
- Clark, P. and Bonnell, I. A. 2005. The onset of collapse in turbulently supported molecular clouds. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 361(1), pp. 2-16. (10.1111/j.1365-2966.2005.09105.x)
2004
- Clark, P. and Bonnell, I. A. 2004. Star formation in transient molecular clouds. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 347(2), pp. L36-L40. (10.1111/j.1365-2966.2004.07377.x)
Articles
- Whitworth, D. J. et al. 2025. Do stars still form in molecular gas within CO-dark dwarf galaxies?. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 536(3), pp. 2936–2955. (10.1093/mnras/stae2759)
- Cusack, M. T., Clark, P. C., Glover, S. C. O., Klessen, R. S., Girichidis, P., Whitworth, A. P. and Priestley, F. D. 2025. The fragmentation of molecular clouds in starburst environments. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 536(4), pp. 3518–3536. (10.1093/mnras/stae2812)
- Priestley, F. D., Clark, P. C., Glover, S. C. O., Ragan, S. E., Feher, O., Prole, L. R. and Klessen, R. S. 2024. NEATH III: A molecular line survey of a simulated star-forming cloud. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 531(4), pp. 4408–4421. (10.1093/mnras/stae1442)
- Durán-Camacho, E. et al. 2024. Self-consistent modelling of the Milky Way structure using live potentials. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 532(1), pp. 126-148. (10.1093/mnras/stae1469)
- Fehér, O., Ragan, S. E., Priestley, F. D., Clark, P. C. and Moore, T. J. T. 2024. N2H+(1–0) as a tracer of dense gas in and between spiral arms. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 530(2), pp. 1311–1327. (10.1093/mnras/stae918)
- Prole, L. R., Regan, J. A., Glover, S. C. O., Klessen, R. S., Priestley, F. D. and Clark, P. C. 2024. Heavy black hole seed formation in high-z atomic cooling halos. Astronomy & Astrophysics 685, article number: A31. (10.1051/0004-6361/202348903)
- Prole, L. R., Clark, P. C., Priestley, F. D., Glover, S. C. O. and Regan, J. A. 2024. Population III star formation: multiple gas phases prevent the use of an equation of state at high densities. The Open Journal of Astrophysics 7 (10.21105/astro.2310.10730)
- Priestley, F. D., Clark, P. C., Glover, S. C. O., Ragan, S. E., Feher, O., Prole, L. R. and Klessen, R. S. 2023. NEATH – II. N2H+ as a tracer of imminent star formation in quiescent high-density gas. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 526(4), pp. 4952–4960. (10.1093/mnras/stad3089)
- Priestley, F. D., Clark, P. C., Glover, S. C. O., Ragan, S. E., Feher, O., Prole, L. R. and Klessen, R. S. 2023. Non-equilibrium abundances treated holistically (NEATH): the molecular composition of star-forming clouds. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 524(4), pp. 5971–5983. (10.1093/mnras/stad2278)
- Prole, L. R., Schauer, A. T. P., Clark, P. C., Glover, S. C. O., Priestley, F. D. and Klessen, R. S. 2023. From dark matter halos to pre-stellar cores: High resolution follow-up of cosmological Lyman-Werner simulations. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 520(2), pp. 2081-2093. (10.1093/mnras/stad188)
- Priestley, F. D., Clark, P. C. and Whitworth, A. P. 2023. Do simulated molecular clouds look like real ones?. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 519(4), pp. 6392–6400. (10.1093/mnras/stad150)
- Hunter, G. H., Clark, P. C., Glover, S. C. O. and Klessen, R. S. 2023. Towards the impact of GMC collisions on the star formation rate. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 519(3), pp. 4152–4170. (10.1093/mnras/stac3751)
- Buckner, A. S. M., Khorrami, Z., González, M., Lumsden, S. L., Clark, P. and Moraux, E. 2022. The spatial evolution of young massive clusters III. Effect of the Gaia filter on 2D spatial distribution studies. Astronomy & Astrophysics 659, article number: A72. (10.1051/0004-6361/202140902)
- Prole, L. R., Clark, P. C., Klessen, R. S. and Glover, S. C. O. 2022. Fragmentation-induced starvation in Population III star formation: a resolution study. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 510(3), pp. 4019–4030. (10.1093/mnras/stab3697)
- Treß, R. G. et al. 2021. Simulations of the star-forming molecular gas in an interacting M51-like galaxy: cloud population statistics. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 505(4), pp. 5438-5459. (10.1093/mnras/stab1683)
- Khorrami, Z. et al. 2021. High-contrast and resolution near-infrared photometry of the core of R136. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 503(1), pp. 292-311. (10.1093/mnras/stab388)
- Khorrami, Z. et al. 2021. Extreme adaptive optics astrometry of R136. Astronomy and Astrophysics 649, article number: L8. (10.1051/0004-6361/202140668)
- González, M. et al. 2021. S2D2: Small-scale Significant substructure DBSCAN Detection I. NESTs detection in 2D star-forming regions. Astronomy and Astrophysics 647, article number: A14. (10.1051/0004-6361/202038123)
- Izquierdo, A. F. et al. 2021. The Cloud Factory II: gravoturbulent kinematics of resolved molecular clouds in a galactic potential. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 500(4), pp. 5268-5296., article number: staa3470. (10.1093/mnras/staa3470)
- Eden, D. J. et al. 2021. Characteristic scale of star formation. I. Clump formation efficiency on local scales. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 500(1), pp. 191-210. (10.1093/mnras/staa3188)
- Clark, P. C. and Whitworth, A. P. 2021. On the emergent system mass function: the contest between accretion and fragmentation. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 500(2), pp. 1697–1707. (10.1093/mnras/staa3176)
- Tress, R. G. et al. 2020. Simulations of the Milky Way’s central molecular zone – I. Gas dynamics. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 499(3), pp. 4455-4478. (10.1093/mnras/staa3120)
- Eden, D. J. et al. 2020. CHIMPS2: survey description and 12CO emission in the Galactic centre. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 498(4), pp. 5936-5951. (10.1093/mnras/staa2734)
- Sormani, M. C. et al. 2020. Simulations of the Milky Way’s central molecular zone - II. Star formation. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 497(4), pp. 5204-5040. (10.1093/mnras/staa1999)
- Wollenberg, K. M. J., Glover, S. C. O., Clark, P. C. and Klessen, R. S. 2020. Formation sites of Population III star formation: The effects of different levels of rotation and turbulence on the fragmentation behavior of primordial gas. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 494(2), pp. 1871-1893. (10.1093/mnras/staa289/5721520)
- Buckner, A. S. M. et al. 2020. The spatial evolution of young massive clusters. II. Looking for imprints of star formation in NGC2264 with Gaia DR2. Astronomy and Astrophysics 636, article number: A80. (10.1051/0004-6361/201936935)
- Smith, R. J. et al. 2020. The Cloud Factory I: Generating resolved filamentary molecular clouds from galactic-scale forces. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 492(2), pp. 1594-1613. (10.1093/mnras/stz3328)
- Tress, R. G., Smith, R. J., Sormani, M. C., Glover, S. C. O., Klessen, R. S., Mac Low, M. and Clark, P. C. 2020. Simulations of the star-forming molecular gas in an interacting M51-like galaxy. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 492(2), pp. 2973-2995. (10.1093/mnras/stz3600)
- Clark, P. C., Glover, S. C. O., Ragan, S. E. and Cabral, A. 2019. Tracing the formation of molecular clouds via [CII], [CI] and CO emission. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 486(4), pp. 4622-4637. (10.1093/mnras/stz1119)
- Sormani, M. C. et al. 2019. The geometry of the gas surrounding the Central Molecular Zone: on the origin of localized molecular clouds with extreme velocity dispersions. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 488(4), pp. 4663-4673. (10.1093/mnras/stz2054)
- Khorrami, Z. et al. 2019. A code to Make Your Own Synthetic ObservaTIonS (MYOSOTIS). Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 485(3), pp. 3124-3133. (10.1093/mnras/stz490)
- Buckner, A. S. et al. 2019. The spatial evolution of young massive clusters I. A new tool to quantitatively trace stellar clustering. Astronomy and Astrophysics 622, article number: A184. (10.1051/0004-6361/201832936)
- Soler, J. D. et al. 2019. Histogram of oriented gradients: a technique for the study of molecular cloud formation. Astronomy and Astrophysics 622, article number: A166. (10.1051/0004-6361/201834300)
- Franeck, A. et al. 2018. Synthetic [C ii] emission maps of a simulated molecular cloud in formation. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 481(4), pp. 4277-4299. (10.1093/mnras/sty2507)
- Clarke, S. P. et al. 2018. Synthetic C18O observations of fibrous filaments: the problems of mapping from PPV to PPP. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 479(2), pp. 1722-1746. (10.1093/mnras/sty1675)
- Penaloza Cabrera, C., Clark, P., Glover, S. C. O. and Klessen, R. S. 2018. CO line ratios in molecular clouds: the impact of environment. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 475(2), pp. 1508-1520. (10.1093/mnras/stx3263)
- Seifried, D. et al. 2017. SILCC-Zoom: the dynamic and chemical evolution of molecular clouds. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 472(4), pp. 4797-4818. (10.1093/mnras/stx2343)
- Hu, C., Naab, T., Glover, S. C. O., Walch, S. and Clark, P. 2017. Variable interstellar radiation fields in simulated dwarf galaxies: supernovae versus photoelectric heating. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 471(2), pp. 2151-2173. (10.1093/mnras/stx1773)
- Simpson, C. M. et al. 2017. The role of cosmic-ray pressure in accelerating galactic outflows. The Astrophysical Journal 827(2), article number: L29. (10.3847/2041-8205/827/2/L29)
- Peters, T. et al. 2017. The turbulent life of dust grains in the supernova-driven, multiphase interstellar medium. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 467(4), pp. 4322-4342. (10.1093/mnras/stx341)
- Cormier, D. et al. 2017. New ALMA constraints on the star-forming interstellar medium at low metallicity: a 50 pc view of the blue compact dwarf galaxy SBS 0335−052. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters 468(1), pp. L87-L91. (10.1093/mnrasl/slx034)
- Peñaloza, C. H., Clark, P. C., Glover, S. C. O., Shetty, R. and Klessen, R. S. 2017. Using CO line ratios to trace the physical properties of molecular clouds. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 465(2), pp. 2277-2285., article number: 2277. (10.1093/mnras/stw2892)
- Gatto, A. et al. 2017. The SILCC project - III. Regulation of star formation and outflows by stellar winds and supernovae. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 466(2), pp. 1903-1924. (10.1093/mnras/stw3209)
- Bertelli Motta, C., Clark, P., Glover, S. C. O., Klessen, R. S. and Pasquali, A. 2016. The IMF as a function of supersonic turbulence. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 462(4), pp. 4171-4182. (10.1093/mnras/stw1921)
- Marsh, K., Ragan, S., Whitworth, A. P. and Clark, P. 2016. Evidence that widespread star formation may be underway in G0.253+016, 'The Brick'. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 461(1), pp. L16-L20. (10.1093/mnrasl/slw080)
- Hu, C., Naab, T., Walch, S., Glover, S. C. O. and Clark, P. C. 2016. Star formation and molecular hydrogen in dwarf galaxies: a non-equilibrium view. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 458(4), pp. 3528-3553. (10.1093/mnras/stw544)
- Glover, S. C. O. and Clark, P. C. 2016. Is atomic carbon a good tracer of molecular gas in metal-poor galaxies?. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 456(4), pp. 3596-3609. (10.1093/mnras/stv2863)
- Girichidis, P. et al. 2016. The SILCC (SImulating the LifeCycle of molecular Clouds) project – II. Dynamical evolution of the supernova-driven ISM and the launching of outflows. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 456(4), pp. 3432-3455. (10.1093/mnras/stv2742)
- Roman-Duval, J., Heyer, M., Brunt, C. M., Clark, P., Klessen, R. and Shetty, R. 2016. Distribution and mass of diffuse and dense CO gas in the Milky Way. The Astrophysical Journal 818(2), article number: 144. (10.3847/0004-637X/818/2/144)
- Bertram, E., Glover, S., Clark, P., Ragan, S. and Klessen, R. 2016. Synthetic observations of molecular clouds in a galactic centre environment - I. Studying maps of column density and integrated intensity. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 455(4), pp. 3763-3778. (10.1093/mnras/stv2619)
- Girichidis, P. et al. 2016. Launching cosmic-ray-driven outflows from the magnetized interstellar medium. Astrophysical Journal Letters 816(2), article number: L19. (10.3847/2041-8205/816/2/L19)
- Walch, S. et al. 2015. The SILCC (SImulating the LifeCycle of molecular Clouds) project - I. Chemical evolution of the supernova-driven ISM. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 454(1), pp. 238-268. (10.1093/mnras/stv1975)
- Peters, T. et al. 2015. Impact of supernova and cosmic-ray driving on the surface brightness of the galactic halo in soft x-rays. Astrophysical Journal Letters 813(2), article number: L27. (10.1088/2041-8205/813/2/L27)
- Clark, P. and Glover, S. C. O. 2015. Does the CO-to-H2 conversion factor depend on the star formation rate?. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 452(2) (10.1093/mnras/stv1369)
- Bonifacio, P. et al. 2015. TOPoS II. On the bimodality of carbon abundance in CEMP stars Implications on the early chemical evolution of galaxies. Astronomy and Astrophysics 579, article number: A28. (10.1051/0004-6361/201425266)
- Dutta, J., Nath, B. B., Clark, P. and Klessen, R. S. 2015. The role of three-body H2 formation in the fragmentation of primordial gas. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 450(1), pp. 202-208. (10.1093/mnras/stv664)
- Gatto, A. et al. 2015. Modelling the supernova-driven ISM in different environments. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 449(1), pp. 1057-1075. (10.1093/mnras/stv324)
- Glover, S. C. O., Clark, P., Micic, M. and Molina, F. 2015. Modelling [C I] emission from turbulent molecular clouds. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 448(2), pp. 1607-1627. (10.1093/mnras/stu2699)
- Hartwig, T., Clark, P., Glover, S. C. O., Klessen, R. S. and Sasaki, M. 2015. A new approach to determine optically thick H2 cooling and its effect on primordial star formation. The Astrophysical Journal 799(2), pp. 114. (10.1088/0004-637X/799/2/114)
- Clark, P. and Glover, S. C. O. 2014. On column density thresholds and the star formation rate. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 444(3), pp. 2396-2414. (10.1093/mnras/stu1589)
- Shetty, R., Clark, P. and Klessen, R. S. 2014. Interpreting the sub-linear Kennicutt-Schmidt relationship: the case for diffuse molecular gas. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 442(3), pp. 2208-2215. (10.1093/mnras/stu919)
- Smith, R. J., Glover, S. C. O., Clark, P. C., Klessen, R. S. and Springel, V. 2014. CO-dark gas and molecular filaments in Milky Way-type galaxies. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 441(2), pp. 1628-1645. (10.1093/mnras/stu616)
- Clark, P., Glover, S. C. O., Ragan, S., Shetty, R. and Klessen, R. S. 2013. On the temperature structure of the galactic center cloud G0.253+0.016. Astrophysical Journal Letters 768(2), article number: L34. (10.1088/2041-8205/768/2/L34)
- Shetty, R. et al. 2013. Indications of a sub-linear and non-universal Kennicutt-Schmidt relationship. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters 437(1), pp. L61-L65. (10.1093/mnrasl/slt156)
- Glover, S. C. O. and Clark, P. 2013. Molecular cooling in the diffuse interstellar medium. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 437(1), pp. 9-20. (10.1093/mnras/stt1809)
- Scholz, A., Geers, V., Clark, P., Jayawardhana, R. and Muzic, K. 2013. Substellar objects in nearby young clusters. VII. the substellar mass function revisited. Astrophysical Journal 775(2), pp. 138-148. (10.1088/0004-637X/775/2/138)
- Dopcke, G., Glover, S. C. O., Clark, P. and Klessen, R. S. 2013. On the initial mass function of low-metallicity stars: the importance of dust cooling. Astrophysical Journal 766(2), pp. 103-115. (10.1088/0004-637X/766/2/103)
- Caffau, E. et al. 2013. TOPoS. Astronomy and Astrophysics 560, pp. A71. (10.1051/0004-6361/201322488)
- Klessen, R. S., Glover, S. C. O. and Clark, P. 2012. On the formation of very metal poor stars: the case of SDSS J1029151+172927. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 421(4), pp. 3217-3221. (10.1111/j.1365-2966.2012.20544.x)
- Greif, T. H. et al. 2012. Formation and evolution of primordial protostellar systems. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 424(1), pp. 399-415. (10.1111/j.1365-2966.2012.21212.x)
- Glover, S. C. O. and Clark, P. 2012. Is molecular gas necessary for star formation?. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 421(1), pp. 9-19. (10.1111/j.1365-2966.2011.19648.x)
- Glover, S. C. O. and Clark, P. 2012. Approximations for modelling CO chemistry in giant molecular clouds: a comparison of approaches. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 421(1), pp. 116-131. (10.1111/j.1365-2966.2011.20260.x)
- Glover, S. C. O. and Clark, P. 2012. Star formation in metal-poor gas clouds. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 426(1), pp. 377-388. (10.1111/j.1365-2966.2012.21737.x)
- Clark, P., Glover, S. C. O., Klessen, R. S. and Bonnell, I. A. 2012. How long does it take to form a molecular cloud?. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 424(4), pp. 2599-2613. (10.1111/j.1365-2966.2012.21259.x)
- Clark, P., Glover, S. C. O. and Klessen, R. S. 2012. TreeCol: a novel approach to estimating column densities in astrophysical simulations. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 420(1), pp. 745-756. (10.1111/j.1365-2966.2011.20087.x)
- Veltchev, T. V., Klessen, R. S. and Clark, P. 2011. Stellar and substellar initial mass function: a model that implements gravoturbulent fragmentation and accretion. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 411(1), pp. 301-310. (10.1111/j.1365-2966.2010.17681.x)
- Turk, M. J., Clark, P., Glover, S. C. O., Greif, T. H., Abel, T., Klessen, R. and Bromm, V. 2011. Effects of varying the three-body molecular hydrogen formation rate in primordial star formation. Astrophysical Journal 726(1), pp. 55-66. (10.1088/0004-637X/726/1/55)
- Smith, R. J., Glover, S. C. O., Clark, P., Greif, T. and Klessen, R. S. 2011. The effects of accretion luminosity upon fragmentation in the early universe. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 414(4), pp. 3633-3644. (10.1111/j.1365-2966.2011.18659.x)
- Smith, R. J., Glover, S. C. O., Bonnell, I. A., Clark, P. and Klessen, R. S. 2011. A quantification of the non-spherical geometry and accretion of collapsing cores. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 411(2), pp. 1354-1366. (10.1111/j.1365-2966.2010.17775.x)
- Greif, T. H. et al. 2011. Simulations on a moving mesh: the clustered formation of population III protostars. Astrophysical Journal 737(2), pp. 75-92. (10.1088/0004-637X/737/2/75)
- Federrath, C., Banerjee, R., Seifried, D., Clark, P. and Klessen, R. S. 2011. Implementing and comparing sink particles in AMR and SPH. Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union 6(S270), pp. 425-428. (10.1017/S1743921311000755)
- Dopcke, G., Glover, S. C. O., Clark, P. and Klessen, R. S. 2011. The effect of dust cooling on low-metallicity star-forming clouds. Astrophysical Journal Letters 729(1), pp. L3. (10.1088/2041-8205/729/1/L3)
- Clark, P., Glover, S. C. O., Smith, R. J., Greif, T. H., Klessen, R. S. and Bromm, V. 2011. The formation and fragmentation of disks around primordial protostars. Science 331(6020), pp. 1040-1042. (10.1126/science.1198027)
- Clark, P., Glover, S. C. O., Klessen, R. S. and Bromm, V. 2011. Gravitational fragmentation in turbulent primordial gas and the initial mass function of population III stars. Astrophysical Journal 727(2), pp. 110-128. (10.1088/0004-637X/727/2/110)
- Bürzle, F., Clark, P., Stasyszyn, F., Greif, T., Dolag, K., Klessen, R. S. and Nielaba, P. 2011. Protostellar collapse and fragmentation using an MHD GADGET. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 412(1), pp. 171-186. (10.1111/j.1365-2966.2010.17896.x)
- Bürzle, F., Clark, P., Stasyszyn, F., Dolag, K. and Klessen, R. S. 2011. Protostellar outflows with smoothed particle magnetohydrodynamics. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters 417(1), pp. L61-L65. (10.1111/j.1745-3933.2011.01120.x)
- Bonnell, I. A., Smith, R. J., Clark, P. and Bate, M. R. 2011. The efficiency of star formation in clustered and distributed regions. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 410(4), pp. 2339-2346. (10.1111/j.1365-2966.2010.17603.x)
- Federrath, C., Banerjee, R., Clark, P. and Klessen, R. S. 2010. Modeling collapse and accretion in turbulent gas clouds: implementation and comparison of sink particles in AMR and SPH. Astrophysical Journal 713(1), pp. 269-290. (10.1088/0004-637X/713/1/269)
- Smith, R. J., Clark, P. and Bonnell, I. A. 2009. Fragmentation in molecular clouds and its connection to the IMF. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 396(2), pp. 830-841. (10.1111/j.1365-2966.2009.14794.x)
- Smith, R. J., Clark, P. and Bonnell, I. A. 2008. The structure of molecular clouds and the universality of the clump mass function. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 391(3), pp. 1091-1099. (10.1111/j.1365-2966.2008.13970.x)
- Dobbs, C. L., Glover, S. C. O., Clark, P. and Klessen, R. S. 2008. The ISM in spiral galaxies: can cooling in spiral shocks produce molecular clouds?. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 389(3), pp. 1097-1110. (10.1111/j.1365-2966.2008.13646.x)
- Clark, P. and Klessen, R. 2008. The turbulent ISM and the stellar IMF. Astronomische Nachrichten 329(9-10), pp. 960-963. (10.1002/asna.200811050)
- Clark, P., Glover, S. C. O. and Klessen, R. S. 2008. The first stellar cluster. Astrophysical Journal 672(2), pp. 757-764. (10.1086/524187)
- Clark, P., Bonnell, I. A. and Klessen, R. S. 2008. The star formation efficiency and its relation to variations in the initial mass function. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 386(1), pp. 3-10. (10.1111/j.1365-2966.2008.13005.x)
- Bonnell, I. A., Clark, P. and Bate, M. R. 2008. Gravitational fragmentation and the formation of brown dwarfs in stellar clusters. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 389(4), pp. 1556-1562. (10.1111/j.1365-2966.2008.13679.x)
- Dale, J. E., Clark, P. and Bonnell, I. A. 2007. Ionization-induced star formation - II. External irradiation of a turbulent molecular cloud. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 377(2), pp. 535-544. (10.1111/j.1365-2966.2007.11515.x)
- Clark, P., Klessen, R. S. and Bonnell, I. A. 2007. Clump lifetimes and the initial mass function. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 379(1), pp. 57-62. (10.1111/j.1365-2966.2007.11896.x)
- Clark, P. and Bonnell, I. A. 2006. Clumpy shocks and the clump mass function. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 368(4), pp. 1787-1795. (10.1111/j.1365-2966.2006.10251.x)
- Dobbs, C. L., Bonnell, I. A. and Clark, P. 2005. Centrally condensed turbulent cores: massive stars or fragmentation?. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 360(1), pp. 2-8. (10.1111/j.1365-2966.2005.08941.x)
- Clark, P., Bonnell, I. A., Zinnecker, H. and Bate, M. R. 2005. Star formation in unbound giant molecular clouds: the origin of OB associations?. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 359(3), pp. 809-818. (10.1111/j.1365-2966.2005.08942.x)
- Clark, P. and Bonnell, I. A. 2005. The onset of collapse in turbulently supported molecular clouds. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 361(1), pp. 2-16. (10.1111/j.1365-2966.2005.09105.x)
- Clark, P. and Bonnell, I. A. 2004. Star formation in transient molecular clouds. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 347(2), pp. L36-L40. (10.1111/j.1365-2966.2004.07377.x)
- Girichidis, P. et al. 2016. The SILCC (SImulating the LifeCycle of molecular Clouds) project – II. Dynamical evolution of the supernova-driven ISM and the launching of outflows. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 456(4), pp. 3432-3455. (10.1093/mnras/stv2742)
Research
The Universe appears to have one goal: to turn matter into stars. This means that star formation research lies at the heart of almost all of present-day astronomy and astrophysics. We use star-forming regions to probe the expansion of the Universe and to test our models of cosmology. We use these same regions to study how galaxies form, grow, and mature. We also use it to understand how planets form: our own solar system probably formed while the Sun itself was still being assembled. It is the goal of star formation researchers, such as myself, to understand how the star formation processes occurs, that is, what regulates it, and why it happens where it does. Ultimately we wish to use our knowledge of star fomation to better understand they way the Universe evolved to have galaxies such as the Milky Way, and planets such as the Earth.
In my research I make use of numerial simulations to study how stars form out of the gas that comprises the interstellar medium. Star formation is, however, a large topic, spaning many orders of magnitude and a wide range of extreme environments. As such, it is often split-up into different categories, such as 'low-mass star formation', 'high-mass star formation', 'primordial star formation'. The first deals with forming stars like the Sun, while 'high-mass star formation' focuses on forming stars like those that make up the 'Trapesium' in the Orion Nebula Cluster. The final category looks at the stars that form out of gas in the early universe, that contains only hydrogen and helium, unlike the gas that presides today, which has been polluted with the heavier elements that arise from the lives and deaths of other stars (such as AGB winds and supernovae explosions).
Despite these different categories of star formation research, one central theme remains the same: star formation is a fight between the force of gravity, acting to bring the gas together, and forces such as thermal pressure, acting to push the gas apart. Our goal, through the numerical simulations, is to find out why the conditions for star formation arise, and how regions of observed active star formation come to have the conditions that they do.
Teaching
Here you will find an overview of the modules that I am currently teaching in Cardiff, as well as a description of the type of projects I offer for BSci / MPhys placements. Please feel free to contact me if you need any more information.
Current lecture courses
PX4128 Data Analysis
I am the Module Organiser on the new Data Analysis course. The course introduces students to the mathematical techniques that scientists use (or should use!) to make sense of data sets, and draw reliable conclusions from their measurements. The course aims to cover a wide range of topics that will be useful to all physics students, whether they decide to pursue research careers or make the move to industry or finance after graduation.
At the moment, the course covers an introduction to Bayesian analysis, hypothesis testing, model fitting/selection, Monte-Carlo Markov Chains, Principal Component Analysis, as well as many more basic features of data analysis. The course comprises a two hour lecture and 1 hour PC lab session per week. The latter is unassessed, but gives students the chance to try out the techniques we learn about in the lectures, as well as brush up on their coding skills (python), and get feedback on their assessments.
PX4231 Energy and Gas in Interstellar Space
I am also the Module Organiser for our newly revamped Year 4 course on the Interstellar Medium (ISM). This course introduces students to the wide array of physical processes that shape the evolution of this vast reservoir of gas, and how it regulates the star formation that controls galactic evolution. One of the key features of the ISM is how atomic processes are able to control evolution on scales of parsecs and up. In the course, the students will learn how this works, examing the physics behind supernovea, ionisation regions, molecular and atomic cooling / emission processes, and dust-gas interactions. The students will also learn the basics of fluid dynamics, including shocks and perturbation analysis to derive soundwaves and fluid instabilities. Much of the physics of the ISM is similar to that involved in predicting the weather or designing airplanes, so this course provides a first look at these phenomenon for those students wishing to follow more earthly pursuits when finishing university!
UC-HiPACC's 2013 International Summer School on AstroComputing: Star & Planet Formation
In 2013, I was a guest lecturer at a computational workshop run by the University of California's High Performance Computing Centre (HiPACC). The workshop was organsied by Prof. Mark Krumholz and brought together experts in computational modelling who have research backgrounds in Star and Planet formation. My lectures covered modelling the interstellar medium in Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH). The lectures from the week are given here. In the side links, you should also be able to find the wonderful talks given by the other guest lecturers (Patrick Hennebelle, Tom Quinn, Jim Stone, Stella Offner, Robi Banerjee), as well as numerous lectures on science topics by additional lectures.
Links to the YouTube videos of the Lectures:
Day 1: Chemically reactive flows in SPH: a basic overview
Day 2: Building a simple ISM model
Day 3: Improving the basic ISM model -- some bells and whistles...
Day 4: The chemistry and thermodynamics of Pop III star formation
Biography
I studied for both my undergrad (MSci) and PhD in Astrophysics at the University of St Andrews, in Scotland. After completing my PhD in 2005, I held a UKAFF Fellowship for 1 year before moving to Germany in 2006. I had a brief appointment at the AIP in Potsdam, before moving to Heidelberg in May 2006, to work at the Institut für Theoretische Astrophysik (ITA) - one of the 3 institutes that comprise the Zentrum für Astronomie Heidelberg (ZAH), that belongs to Heidelberg University. In 2014 I moved back to the UK, to Cardiff, where I took up a Senior Lecturer in the School of Physics and Astronomy at Cardiff University. I am now a Reader in Astrophysics.
Contact Details
+44 29208 75107
Queen's Buildings - North Building, Room N/2.16, 5 The Parade, Newport Road, Cardiff, CF24 3AA