Faculty | Biography

Richard B. Larson

Professor Emeritus of Astronomy

Past Courses Taught

Astronomy 310: Galactic and Extragalactic Astronomy
Astronomy 360/560: Interstellar Matter and Star Formation
Astronomy 710: Professional Seminar

Research Interests

I have been interested in many aspects of star formation, as well as the formation and evolution of galaxies. Some of my recent interests have included the origin of the stellar initial mass function, the formation of the first stars in the universe, and the growth of black holes in galactic nuclei. More information can be found on my web page.

MORE INFO

Recent Publications

“Historical Perspective on Computational Star Formation”, R. B. Larson, 2011, in IAU Symposium 270, Computational Star Formation, eds J. Alves, B. G. Elmegreen, J. M. Girart, & V. Trimble, Cambridge Univ. Press, Cambridge, p. 1 (PDF)

“The Role of Column Density in the Formation of Stars and Black Holes”, R. B. Larson, 2010, in Nature Physics, Vol. 6, p. 96 (journal) (PDF)

“Angular Momentum and the Formation of Stars and Black Holes”, R. B. Larson, 2010, in Reports on Progress in Physics, Vol. 73, 014901 (PDF)

“Stability of Galactic Gas Disks and the Formation of Massive Clusters”, A. Escala & R. B. Larson, 2008, in Astrophysical Journal Letters, Vol. 685, p. L31 (PDF)

“Insights from Simulations of Star Formation”, R. B. Larson, 2007, in Reports on Progress in Physics, Vol. 70, p. 337 (PDF)

“The Origin of the Initial Mass Function”, I. A. Bonnell, R. B. Larson, & H. Zinnecker, 2007, in Protostars and Planets V, eds B. Reipurth, D. Jewitt, & K. Keil, Univ. of Arizona Press, Tucson, p. 149 (PDF)

“Thermal physics, cloud geometry, and the stellar initial mass function”, R. B. Larson, 2005, in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Vol. 359, p. 211 (PDF)