Dense Star-forming Gas and Dust in the Magellanic Clouds

The early stages of the star formation process are closely related to the condition of the parent interstellar medium, in particular to the heating/cooling balance, which itself is a function of ambient conditions. Important questions such as dust abundance, size distribution, temperature distribution, fraction of molecular gas, fraction of dense gas, gas surface density and total amount of gas and dust require separation of metallicity and radiation effects. The Magellanic Clouds provide an ideal laboratory to carry out such studies almost under ’controlled conditions’. Although they are prominent targets for space observatories (Spitzer, Herschel), an important role remains for large groundbased facilities, such as a 25 m class sub-millimeter telescope on Dome C. Large-scale mapping at high resolution should be carried out both in the continuum and in various lines, fully complementing other groundbased and spacebased observing programs.