We report near-infrared spectroscopy of the gas giant planet HD 189733b in transit. We used the Hubble Space Telescope Wide Field Camera 3 (HST WFC3) with its G141 grism covering […]
Astrochemistry
Posted inAstrochemistry
Interstellar and Circumstellar Fullerenes
Fullerenes are a particularly stable class of carbon molecules in the shape of a hollow sphere or ellipsoid that might be formed in the outflows of carbon stars. Once injected […]
Posted inAstrochemistry
HNCO Isomers Formation in Ice Mantles by UV and Thermal Processing
Current gas phase models do not account for the abundances of HNCO isomers detected in various environments, suggesting a formation in icy grain mantles. We attempted to study a formation […]
Posted inAstrochemistry
Characterizing Chemical Pathways for Water Formation: Deep Search for Hydrogen Peroxide
In 2011, hydrogen peroxide (HOOH) was observed for the first time outside the solar system (Bergman et al., A&A, 2011, 531, L8). This detection appeared a posteriori quite natural, as […]
Posted inAstrochemistry
Carbon-rich Dust Past the Asymptotic Giant Branch
Infrared spectra of carbon-rich objects which have evolved off the asymptotic giant branch reveal a range of dust properties, including fullerenes, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), aliphatic hydrocarbons, and several unidentified […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry
Census of Complex Organic Molecules in Solar Type Protostar IRAS16293-2422
Complex Organic Molecules (COMs) are considered crucial molecules, since they are connected with organic chemistry, at the basis of the terrestrial life. More pragmatically, they are molecules in principle difficult […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Origin & Evolution of Life
Stanley Miller's Forgotten Experiments, Analyzed
Stanley Miller, the chemist whose landmark experiment published in 1953 showed how some of the molecules of life could have formed on a young Earth, left behind boxes of experimental […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones
Chemical Modeling of Exoplanet Atmospheres
The past twenty years have revealed the diversity of planets that exist in the Universe. It turned out that most of exoplanets are different from the planets of our Solar […]
Posted inAstrochemistry
Herschel Detects New Molecules Formed Around Old Stars
Using ESA’s Herschel space observatory, astronomers have discovered that a molecule vital for creating water exists in the burning embers of dying Sun-like stars. When low- to middleweight stars like […]
Posted inAstrochemistry
Characterization and Remote Sensing of Biological Particles Using Circular Polarization
Biological molecules are characterized by an intrinsic asymmetry known as homochirality. The result is optical activity of biological materials and circular polarization in the light scattered by microorganisms, cells of […]