Interstellar Chemistry with Herschel

Research Project, 2013 – 2016

Interstellar clouds of gas and dust are the birth-sites of solar mass stars and their protoplanetary disks, cloud chemistry thereby being intimately linked to the composition of planetary systems. Interaction between observational and theoretical studies is constantly improving our under- standing of this chemistry, even though many details remain unknown. The Herschel Space Observatory, with its sensitive instruments for molecular spectroscopy, has proved itself in- valuable in delivering new observational insights, especially regarding the distribution of water, oxygen and light hydrides in the insterstellar medium. The aim of this research programme is first to investigate certain aspects of interstellar gas-grain interactions using observational tests carried out by Herschel in the OT2 observing round, then to develop theoretical models focused on explaining unexpected chemical relations in specific types of environments as observed by Herschel.

Participants

Funding

Related Areas of Advance and Infrastructure

Basic sciences

Roots

Onsala Space Observatory

Infrastructure

Publications

Complex Organic Molecules in Star-Forming Regions of the Magellanic Clouds

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