A team of astronomers from Leiden University, The Netherlands, measured the chemical fingerprint of the smallest aromatic molecule. According to astrochemical models this molecule should be highly abundant in the […]
astrochemistry
Posted inAstrochemistry
Water Vapor Distribution in Protoplanetary Disks
Water vapor has been detected in protoplanetary disks. In this work we model the distribution of water vapor in protoplanetary disks with a thermo-chemical code. For a set of parameterized […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Comets and Asteroids
3-D Study of Comets Reveals Chemical Factory at Work
A NASA-led team of scientists has created detailed 3-D maps of the atmospheres surrounding comets, identifying several gases and mapping their spread at the highest resolution ever achieved. “We achieved […]
Posted inAstrochemistry
Mysterious Molecules in Space
Researchers at Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics Finger Silicon-Capped Hydrocarbons as Possible Source of Mysterious “Diffuse Interstellar Bands” Image: Absorption wavelength as a function of the number of carbon atoms in […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets
Water Vapor in the Spectrum of the Extrasolar Planet HD 189733b
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 […]
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 […]