Context: Dimethyl sulfide (DMS; CH3SCH3) is an organosulfur compound that has been suggested as a potential biosignature in exoplanetary atmospheres. In addition to its tentative detections toward the sub-Neptune planet […]
interstellar medium
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Press Release
Astrochemistry: A Little Bit Of Space On Earth
There is a large diversity in the chemical composition of astronomical objects such as planets, comets, circumstellar envelopes, or galactic gas clouds.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Interstellar, Status Report
The Interstellar Medium
The interstellar medium (ISM) is the material that fills the space between the stars in all galaxies; it is a multi-phase medium in pressure equilibrium, with densities and temperatures covering […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
Observations Of Complex Organic Molecules In The Gas Phase Of The Interstellar Medium
Thanks to the advent of sensitive and broad bandwidth instrumentation, complex organic molecules (COMs) have been found in a wide variety of interstellar environments, not only in our Galaxy but […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
ALMA Observations of CH3COCH3 and the Related Species CH3CHO, CH3OH, and C2H5CN in Line-rich Molecular Cores
Context. Acetone (CH3COCH3) is a carbonyl-bearing complex organic molecule, yet interstellar observations of acetone remain limited. Studying the formation and distribution of CH3COCH3. in the interstellar medium can provide valuable […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
Theoretical Study of Aromatic and N-heterocycles: Potential Carriers of Interstellar Aromatic Infrared Bands
Heterocycle compounds that contain nitrogen play important roles in astrobiology and terrestrial biology as a building block of nucleic acid. Nitrogen inclusion in polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) is also proposed […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
Deuterated Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in the Interstellar Medium: Constraints from the Orion Bar as Observed by the James Webb Space Telescope
The gas-phase abundances of deuterium (D) in the local interstellar medium (ISM) exhibit considerable regional variations. Particularly, in some regions the gas-phase D abundances are substantially lower than the primordial […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Press Release
PAH Carbon Accretion And Return To The Diffuse Interstellar Medium
Two key questions of the chemistry of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the interstellar medium (ISM) are addressed: i) the way carbon is returned from PAHs to the interstellar gas […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Icy Worlds, Interstellar, Status Report
On the Abiotic Origin of Dimethyl Sulfide: Discovery of DMS in the Interstellar Medium
Following the discovery of dimethyl sulfide (CH3SCH3, DMS) signatures in comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, we report the first detection of this organosulfur species in the interstellar medium, during the exploration of an […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
Rotational Excitation of Vinyl Cyanide by Collisions with Helium Atoms at Low Temperature
Among the numerous molecular systems found in the interstellar medium (ISM), vinyl cyanide is the first identified olephinic nitrile. While it has been observed in various sources, its detection in […]