Solid State Astrochemistry


Book Description

The fundamental role that Astrochemistry plays into regulating the processes that in interstellar clouds lead to the formation of stars, and how these processes concur into affecting the shape and the dynamics of galaxies and hence into showing the Universe in the way it appears to us is well established. Together with those occurring in the gas phase a special relevance is recognized to processes that involve interstellar dust grains, the solid component of matter diffused among stars. The school on "Solid State Astrochemistry", held at the Ettore Majorana Centre for Scientific Culture in Erice (Sicily) from the 5th to the 15th of June 2000, was the fifth course of the International School of Space Chemistry. In spite of its very focused aim it was attended by 66 participants from 17 different countries, that in the very special environment provided by the Majorana Centre, discussed in great details the various aspects of the subject.




Astrochemistry


Book Description

Ever wondered if the chemical processes taking place in space could be related to the origins of life? The authors of this book, both experienced astrochemists, embark on a discussion to find the answers to this question and more, and include a general introduction to astrochemistry for chemistry students. They explore chemistry occurring in the universe from its very early beginnings until the present era. Based on our current understanding, astrochemistry is known to occur in interstellar gas, on dust grains and in interstellar ices, in stellar atmospheres and envelopes, in dense star- and planet-forming regions, and on planets and other bodies in planetary systems. Recent observational discoveries supported by remarkable laboratory work emphasize chemical complexity, leading to answers to the tantalizing question: can this complexity be related to the origin of life? This book provides the tools to enable chemistry students to make their own computational investigations of astrochemistry and directs study across the chemical sciences and astronomy. Concentrating on fundamental processes, this book is a useful teaching aid.




Astrochemistry


Book Description

The answers to some of the most fundamental questions in science lie between the stars, in molecular clouds that serve as celestial laboratories. Disentangling the chemistries in extraterrestrial environments can provide clues about how planets form and shed light on problems in terrestrial chemistry that are difficult to investigate in the lab, and even the origins of life. Astrochemistry takes you on a tour of the molecular universe through time and space, starting with the emergence of matter about 13.8 billion years ago. From there, the tour visits the interstellar medium, with an emphasis on molecular clouds where stars are born. It then goes through different evolutionary stages of stars and planets – and the chemistry that emerges alongside them – before ending in our own solar system, where you will learn about chemical delivery by objects such as comets and meteorites.




Laboratory Astrochemistry


Book Description

Written by leading scientists in the field and intended for a broader readership, this is an ideal starting point for an overview of current research and developments. As such, the book covers a broad spectrum of laboratory astrophysics and chemistry, describing recent advances in experiments, as well as theoretical work, including fundamental physics and modeling chemical networks. For researchers as well as students and newcomers to the field.




The Chemistry of Cosmic Dust


Book Description

It has been firmly established over the last quarter century that cosmic dust plays important roles in astrochemistry. The consequences of these roles affect the formation of planets, stars and even galaxies. Cosmic dust has been a controversial topic but there is now a considerable measure of agreement as to its nature and roles in astronomy, and its initiation of astrobiology. The subject has stimulated an enormous research effort, with researchers in many countries now involved in laboratory research and in ab initio computations. This is the first book devoted to a study of the chemistry of cosmic dust, presenting current thinking on the subject distilled from many publications in surface and solid-state science, and in astronomy. The authors discuss the nature of dust, its formation and evolution, the chemistry it can promote on its surfaces, and the consequences of these functions. The purpose of this book is to review current understanding and to indicate where future work is required. Mainly intended for researchers in the field of astrochemistry, the book could also be used as the basis of a course for postgraduate students who have an interest in astrochemistry.




Astrochemical Modeling


Book Description

Astrochemical Modelling: Practical Aspects of Microphysics in Numerical Simulations is a comprehensive and detailed guide to dealing with the standard problems that students and researchers face when they need to take into account astrochemistry in their models, including building chemical networks, determining the relevant processes, and understanding the theoretical challenges and the numerical limitations. The book provides chapters covering the theoretical background on the predominant areas of astrochemistry, with each chapter following theoretical background with information on existing databases, step-by-step computational examples with solutions to recurrent problems, and an overview of the different processes and their numerical implementation. Furthermore, a section on case studies provides concrete examples of computational modelling usage for real-world applications and cases where the techniques can be applied is also included. - Provides theoretical background on topics that is followed by computational examples and tailored tutorials to allow for full understanding and replication of techniques - Written by theoreticians and authors with direct experience on the computational implementation to provide a realistic and pragmatic approach to common problems - Details up-to-date information on available databases, tools and benchmarks for practical usage, forming a good starting point for introductory readers and a reference for actual implementation for more advanced researchers




Advances in Astronomy


Book Description

"Derived in part from work originally published in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, series A (Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A, 360, 2649-3004, 2002)."--t.p.




Gas Phase Chemistry in Space


Book Description

Astrochemistry, the study of chemistry in space, is a rapidly growing field in astrophysics. Molecules are found everywhere; from our solar system to high-redshift galaxies. Gas-Phase Chemistry in Space: From elementary particles to complex organic molecules addresses the physics and chemistry of astrophysical molecules with a focus on gas-phase processes. Edited by François Lique and Alexandre Faure, alongside a collection of experts in the field, this book introduces essential concepts that govern the formation, excitation and destruction of molecules at postgraduate and research levels. A broad range of topics are covered, including early universe chemistry and stellar nucleosynthesis, and the study of bimolecular reaction kinetics. Detailed descriptions of the gas-phase process are provided and recent examples of the interplay between observational and laboratory astrophysics are examined. Coinciding with the timely arrival of powerful new telescopes, this work examines numerous advances in astrochemistry and paves the way for these advances to be implemented in the future. More than 100 figures are used, alongside examples, providing both theoretical and experimental perspectives. Book jacket.




Astrochemistry: From The Big Bang To The Present Day


Book Description

'This book could appeal to astronomers interested in interstellar and circumstellar matter who would like to know more about the processes in them from a chemist's perspective in a modern textbook. Overall, I found this book very informative and clearly written …'The Observatory MagazineThe rapidly growing field of astrochemistry focuses on the chemistry occurring in stars, planets, and the interstellar medium, bringing together elements of chemistry, physics, astrophysics, and biology. Astrochemistry describes the chemical history of the Universe, our solar system, and our planet. It explores in some detail the 'alien' chemistry occurring in interstellar gas clouds, the regions where stars and planets are formed, and also looks at the theoretical and experimental methods that allow us to carry out Earth-based studies of astrochemistry.The evolution of the Universe and the complex chemistry occurring both in interstellar space and in the planetary systems that form in these regions is explained primarily in terms of basic principles of physical chemistry. While there is plenty to interest the general reader, this book is aimed at intermediate to advanced undergraduates of chemistry and astrochemistry, highlighting many different aspects of physical chemistry and demonstrating their relevance to the world we live in.This book was written in conjunction with Atmospheric Chemistry: From the Surface to the Stratosphere, Grant Ritchie (2017) World Scientific Publishing.




Dynamical Astrochemistry


Book Description

Astrochemistry is a well-established interdisciplinary subject and the methods for describing time-dependent chemistry in static or slowly-changing regions of interstellar space have been well-developed over many years. Existing astrochemical books normally describe the subject in terms of chemistry in static or slowly-varying astronomical situations but the most significant astronomical regions are those in which the physical conditions change on timescales that are comparable to or shorter than chemical timescales. Written by leading experts in this area, this is the first book specifically devoted to the astrochemistry of dynamically evolving astronomical regions. It provides a comprehensive description of this important area of science, stressing in particular the methods that have been developed for specific purposes. It will be of interest to researchers in astrochemistry, including both chemists and physicists and could form the basis of a postgraduate course for research students in chemistry and physics.