Conveners
Molecules and dust: Molecules and Dust
- JD Smith (University of Toledo)
Molecules and dust: Molecules and Dust
- JD Smith (University of Toledo)
As is unequivocally evident from observations, Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) pervade the Universe. PAHs are easily detected through their vibrational IR emission bands at 3.3, 6.2, 7.7, 8.6 and 11.2 micron. They are found in a wide variety of environments, including post-AGB stars, planetary nebulae, young stellar objects, HII regions, reflection nebulae, the interstellar medium, and...
Throughout the Universe, there is a close interplay between the formation, evolution and destruction of dust grains and molecules, driven by the diverse conditions encountered in various astrophysical environments. When stellar gas cools down in the surroundings of evolved stars, it starts a transformation into molecular gas and dust grains. The resulting inventory depends not only on the...
Because large molecules (including PAHs and other carbonaceous particles) straddle the divide between molecular gas and dust grains, their spatial and dynamical distributions carry information on both of these phases and their interface. This talk will explore the power of harnessing this information using a few case studies of molecular absorption spectroscopy combined with absorption-based...
