Conveners
Astrochemistry II
- Laurent Nahon
The detection of benzene in Titan’s atmosphere led to the emergence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons as potential nucleation agents triggering the growth of Titan’s orange-brownish haze layers. However, the fundamental mechanisms leading to the formation of PAHs in Titan’s low temperature atmosphere have remained elusive. We provide persuasive evidence through laboratory experiments...
Small molecules such as formamide (NH$_2$CHO), methyl isocyanate (CH$_3$NCO) and acetamide (CH$_3$CONH$_2$) belong to a select group of interstellar molecules considered to be relevant precursors to the formation of peptide structures. On Earth, the peptide bond is the chemical link between amino acids that forms proteins, the engines of life. Recent detections of NH$_2$CHO, CH$_3$NCO and...
Water ice plays an important role in many different fields of physical sciences. In particular, water ice is ubiquitous in the interstellar medium. Interaction between condensed water and high energy radiation – such as X-ray photons – is a key process in space, that plays an important role in the balance between the gas phase and the solid phase. The core excitation of water ice has been the...
Solid phase processes contribute to the chemical evolution in interstellar and circumstellar media via interactions between icy grains mantles and dissociative and ionizing radiation. Such energetic processing of ices affects the ice composition via non-equilibrium surface desorption processes and chemical reactions throughout the ice. Far ultraviolet radiation is a potentially important...
