Star formation plays a major role in the dynamics of the galaxy. Due to their high impact on the evolution of galaxies, massive stars (stars more than ten times the mass of our sun) are of particular interest to astronomers. However, the models of massive star formation are not well understood when compared to their lower-mass counterparts. Astrophysicists have determined the most promising places to study star formation are dense clouds of dust and gas. This study is specifically looking at Infrared Dark Clouds (IRDCs); super dense clouds of dust and gas that are located using infrared observations of the Galactic plane and comes from the GLIMPSE survey on the Spitzer Space Telescope. The goal of this study is to use radio spectral line emission from ammonia (NH3) and dicarbon sulfide (CCS) molecules in IRDCs to determine the chemical and physical dynamics of massive star formation and the impacts massive star formation has on its surroundings. The radio data comes from the Very Large Array (VLA) in New Mexico and the analysis is completed using Astronomical Image Processing System (AIPS). Currently the data is being analyzed.

Massive Star Formation in Infrared Dark Clouds