LERMA UMR8112

Recent observations have emphasized the importance of the formation and evolution of magnetized filamentary molecular clouds in the process of star formation. Theoretical and observational investigations have provided convincing evidence for the formation of molecular cloud cores by the gravitational fragmentation of filamentary molecular clouds. Thus, the mass function and rotations of molecular cloud cores should be directly related to the properties of the filamentary molecular cloud, which determines the initial size and mass distribution of a protoplanetary disk around a protostar created in a core. In this talk I explain our current understanding of the star formation processes in the Galactic disk, and summarize various processes that are required in describing the filamentary molecular clouds to understand the star formation rate/efficiency, the stellar
initial mass function, and the angular momentum distribution of protoplanetary disks in their early evolutionary phase.

Low-frequency observations of the redshifted 21cm line promise to open a new window onto the first billion years of cosmic history, allowing us to directly study the astrophysical processes occurring during the Epoch of Reionization (EoR) and the Cosmic Dawn (CD). This exciting goal is challenged by the difficulty of extracting the feeble 21-cm signal buried under astrophysical foregrounds orders of magnitude brighter and contaminated by numerous instrumental systematics. Several experiments such as LOFAR, MWA, HERA, and NenuFAR are currently underway aiming at statistically detecting the 21-cm brightness temperature fluctuations from the EoR and CD. While no detection is yet in sight, considerable progress has been made recently. In this talk, I will review the many challenges faced by these difficult experiments and I will share the latest development of the LOFAR Epoch of Reionization and NenuFAR Cosmic Dawn key science projects.