Dense Star-forming Gas and Dust in the Magellanic Clouds

The early stages of star formation are closely related to the ambient conditions in the interstellar medium. 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. They are prominent targets for space observatories (Spitzer, Herschel), but an important role remains for large groundbased facilities, such as a 25 m class sub-millimeter telescope on Dome C.