Stellar feedback plays a central role in shaping the evolution of giant molecular clouds (GMCs) and regulating star formation, with many of its effects mediated by astrophysical dust, a vital component of the interstellar medium (ISM). In this talk, I will present findings from radiation-dust-magnetohydrodynamic (RDMHD) simulations conducted using the STARFORGE framework, focusing on how stellar feedback interacts with dust in star-forming regions.
These simulations explicitly model live dust grains alongside radiation, thermochemistry, individual star formation, and feedback processes. Our results show that radiation from stars exceeding 2–5 solar masses strongly reshapes circumstellar environments. Radiation-driven winds efficiently clear dust within ~1000 AU, reducing the local dust-to-gas ratio by 1–2 orders of magnitude within the evacuated region, which becomes enclosed by a dust “shell.” This mechanism has significant implications for the chemistry of circumstellar disks and the abundance patterns of forming stars.
Furthermore, the size distributions of the dust grains emerges as a critical factor in mediating feedback effects. Our findings reveal that larger grains reduce overall dust opacity, enabling radiation to propagate more effectively through the cloud. This increased radiation heats and ionizes surrounding regions, suppressing the star formation efficiency by up to an order of magnitude. These findings highlight the essential role of detailed dust modeling in understanding the intricate interplay between stellar feedback, radiation, and ISM dynamics, offering new insights into the processes that shape star formation.