The local detection rate of interstellar objects can allow for estimations of the total number of similar objects bound by the Milky Way thin disk.
Interstellar
Posted inAstrochemistry, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Interstellar, Press Release
Peptide Bonds In The Interstellar Medium: Facile Autocatalytic Formation From Nitriles On Water-Ice Grains
A recent suggestion that acetamide, CH3C(O)NH2, could be readily formed on water-ice grains by the acid induced addition of water across the CN bond is now shown to be valid. […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Interstellar, Press Release
Complex Organic Molecules Formation in Cold Cores on Stochastically Heated Grains
We investigate the roles of stochastic grain heating in the formation of complex organic molecules (COMs) in cold cores, where COMs have been detected. Two different types of grain-size distributions […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Icy Worlds, Interstellar, Press Release
LIDA – The Leiden Ice Database For Astrochemistry
High quality vibrational spectra of solid-phase molecules in ice mixtures and for temperatures of astrophysical relevance are needed to interpret infrared observations toward protostars and background stars. Over the last […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Interstellar, Meteorites & Asteroids, Press Release
Detection of Cosmic Fullerenes in the Almahata Sitta Meteorite: Are They an Interstellar Heritage?
Buckminsterfullerene, C60 , is the largest molecule observed to date in interstellar and circumstellar environments. The mechanism of formation of this molecule is actively debated. Despite targeted searches in primitive […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Interstellar, Press Release
The Effects Of Local Stellar Radiation And Dust Depletion On Non-equilibrium Interstellar Chemistry
Interstellar chemistry is important for galaxy formation, as it determines the rate at which gas can cool, and enables us to make predictions for observable spectroscopic lines from ions and […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Interstellar, Press Release
Mapping the aliphatic hydrocarbon content of interstellar dust in the Galactic plane
We implement a new observational method for mapping the aliphatic hydrocarbon content in the solid phase in our Galaxy, based on spectrophotometric imaging of the 3.4 μm absorption feature from […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Interstellar, Press Release
Interstellar Complex Organic Molecules In SiO-traced Massive Outflows
The interstellar medium contains dust and gas, in which at high densities and cold conditions molecules can proliferate. Interstellar Complex Organic Molecules (iCOMs) are C-bearing species that contain at least […]
Posted inInterstellar, Press Release, SETI & Technosignatures
Viability Of Quantum Communication Across Interstellar Distances
The possibility of achieving quantum communication using photons across interstellar distances is examined. For this, different factors are considered that could induce decoherence of photons, including the gravitational field of […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Comets and Asteroids, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, SETI & Technosignatures
On The Possibility Of An Artificial Origin For `Oumuamua
Science offers the privilege of following evidence, not prejudice. The first interstellar object discovered near Earth, Oumuamua, showed half a dozen anomalies relative to comets or asteroids in the Solar […]