Molecular Clouds
Tracing how cold interstellar gas organizes into hierarchical structures across multiple spatial scales.
See related projects ↗Star formation · Molecular clouds · Gas kinematics
Satyajeet
Moharana
Exploring how filaments and dense cores form within molecular clouds.
PhD Student · KASI–UST · Republic of Korea
01 / About
Following matter from cloud-scale filaments to star-forming cores.
Stars form inside cold molecular clouds, where gravity, turbulence, and gas flows shape filamentary structures and dense cores. My research uses molecular-line and continuum observations to investigate these earliest stages of stellar birth.
I am currently pursuing a PhD at the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute and the University of Science and Technology under the supervision of Prof. Chang Won Lee.
2019–2024IISER BerhampurBS–MS · Physical Sciences
2023–2024Indian Institute of AstrophysicsSolar and stellar spectroscopy
2024–PresentKASI–USTPhD · Star formation
02 / Research
Core themes
The physics of structure and motion in star-forming clouds.
Filaments
Identifying velocity-coherent structures and testing their stability, accretion, and dynamical evolution.
See related projects ↗Dense Cores
Characterizing the compact condensations that represent the immediate precursors of stars.
See related projects ↗Gas Kinematics
Using molecular-line spectroscopy to measure turbulence, velocity gradients, inflow, and infall.
See related projects ↗03 / Projects
Herschel NH₂ map · Serpens South
Featured project · 2025–2026
Serpens South Hub–Filament System
Combining JCMT C18O (2–1), Nobeyama N2H+ (1–0), and forthcoming ALMA observations to investigate velocity-coherent filaments, dense cores, mass flows, and hub-scale infall.
- FocusFilament and core formation
- MethodsMolecular-line spectroscopy
- FacilitiesJCMT · Nobeyama · ALMA
Aquila Molecular Cloud Complex
Velocity-coherent filaments and embedded dense cores in W40 and Serpens South.
Hydrogen-deficient Carbon Stars
Near-infrared spectroscopy and isotopic abundance ratios using TANSPEC data.
Solar Helium Abundance
Constraining the photospheric He/H ratio through LTE spectral modelling.
04 / Publications
Selected work
Research in print.
Lead author · The Astrophysical Journal
TRAO-FUNS IV. Filaments and Dense Cores in the W40 and Serpens South Regions of Aquila
S. Moharana et al. · ApJ, 997, 117
Lead author · The Astrophysical Journal
Helium Abundance of the Sun: A Spectroscopic Analysis
S. Moharana et al. · ApJ, 974, 312
Co-author · The Astrophysical Journal
ATOMS-QUARKS Survey: Inflow and Infall in Massive Protocluster G318.049+00.086
S. Gupta et al. · ApJ, 999, 180
05 / Observational experience
Facilities and data
From optical spectra to millimetre-wave maps.
InterferometerALMAContinuum and molecular lines
Single dishJCMTC18O mapping
Single dishTRAOC18O and N2H+
Single dishNobeyamaN2H+ observations
Optical / NIRDOTTANSPEC spectroscopy
Far infraredHerschelColumn-density mapping