Legacy
ATOMS Legacy
QUARKS grows out of the ATOMS Band 3 survey, carrying a well-defined sample of massive star-forming regions to the smaller physical scales probed by ALMA Band 6.
Band 3 foundation
ATOMS provides the broader molecular-line and continuum view of massive star-forming environments, setting the clump-scale context for the QUARKS follow-up.
Sample continuity
QUARKS follows dense protoclusters selected from the ATOMS sample, allowing source-by-source comparisons across wavelength, resolution, and physical scale.
Multi-scale science
Together, ATOMS and QUARKS connect clump structure, fragmentation, dense cores, chemistry, kinematics, accretion, outflows, and feedback.
Context
From ATOMS to QUARKS
ATOMS, the ALMA Three-millimeter Observations of Massive Star-forming regions survey, established a Band 3 view of active massive star-forming regions. It is the legacy reference for the larger-scale dense gas, molecular emission, and feedback environment in which massive protoclusters form.
QUARKS builds on that foundation with high-resolution ALMA Band 6 observations. The combined data set is designed for direct multi-scale comparisons: from clump-scale structures in ATOMS to compact continuum fragments, dense cores, and local gas motions resolved by QUARKS.