Star formation is a complex multi-scale phenomenon that is of significant importance for astrophysics in general. Stars and star formation are key pillars in observational astronomy from local star forming regions in the Milky Way up to high-redshift galaxies. From a theoretical perspective, star formation and feedback processes (radiation, winds, and supernovae) play a pivotal role in advancing our understanding of the physical processes at work, both individually and of their interactions. In this review we will give an overview of the main processes that are important for the understanding of star formation. We start with an observationally motivated view on star formation from a global perspective and outline the general paradigm of the life-cycle of molecular clouds, in which star formation is the key process to close the cycle. After that we focus on the thermal and chemical aspects in star forming regions, discuss turbulence and magnetic fields as well as gravitational forces. Finally, we review the most important stellar feedback mechanisms.

中文翻译：

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恒星形成的物理过程

恒星形成是一种复杂的多尺度现象，对天体物理学具有重要意义。从银河系的局部恒星形成区到高红移星系，恒星和恒星形成是观测天文学的关键支柱。从理论的角度来看，恒星形成和反馈过程（辐射、风和超新星）在促进我们对物理过程的理解方面发挥着关键作用，无论是单独的还是它们的相互作用。在这篇综述中，我们将概述对理解恒星形成很重要的主要过程。我们从全球视角对恒星形成的观察动机出发，概述了分子云生命周期的一般范式，其中恒星形成是关闭循环的关键过程。之后，我们专注于恒星形成区域的热和化学方面，讨论湍流和磁场以及引力。最后，我们回顾了最重要的恒星反馈机制。