Description:

Observations at infrared and radio wavelengths provide a wealth of information about the molecules within of the interstellar medium. Because of the different chemical pathways responsible for their formation and destruction, different molecules probe specific aspects of the interstellar environment. Carefully interpreted with the use of astrochemical models, they provide unique information of general astrophysical importance, yielding estimates of the cosmic-ray density, the molecular fraction, the ultraviolet radiation field, and the dissipation of energy within the turbulent interstellar gas. Laboratory experiments and quantum-mechanical calculations are essential both in providing the spectroscopic data needed to identify interstellar molecules and for elucidating the fundamental physical and chemical processes that must be included in astrochemical models.

David Neufeld, Johns Hopkins University

Host: Zadeh

Keywords: Physics, Astronomy, Radio Astronomy