Related papers: Constraining the Environment of CH+ Formation with…
The astronomical detection of formamide (NH$_2$CHO) toward various star-forming regions and in cometary material implies that the simplest amide might have an early origin in dark molecular clouds at low temperatures. Laboratory studies…
Our automated reaction discovery program, AutoMeKin, has been utilized to investigate the formation of glycolonitrile (HOCH$_{2}$CN) in the gas phase under the low temperatures of the interstellar medium (ISM). The feasibility of a proposed…
We present results from high-resolution three-dimensional simulations of turbulent interstellar gas that self-consistently follow its coupled thermal, chemical and dynamical evolution, with a particular focus on the formation and…
Star formation activity in molecular clouds is often found to be correlated with the amount of material above a column density threshold of $\sim 10^{22} \, {\rm cm^{-2}}$. Attempts to connect this column density threshold to a ${\it…
The detection of complex organic molecules (COMs) toward dense, collapsing prestellar cores has sparked interest in the fields of astrochemistry and astrobiology, yet the mechanisms for COM formation are still debated. It was originally…
The aim of this paper is to provide a new set of branching ratios for interstellar and planetary chemical networks based on a semi empirical model. We applied, instead of zero order theory (i.e. only the most exoergic decaying channel is…
Understanding the chemistry of molecular clouds is pivotal to elucidate star formation and galaxy evolution. As one of the important molecular ions, HCNH+ plays an important role in this chemistry. Yet, its behavior and significance under…
Our current understanding of interstellar carbon fractionation hinges on the interpretation of astrochemical kinetic models. Yet, the various reactions included carry large uncertainties in their (estimated) rate coefficients, notably those…
Observations of low-mass protostellar systems show evidence of rich complex organic chemistry. Their low luminosity, however, makes determining abundance distributions of complex organic molecules (COMs) within the water snowline…
Astrochemical models of interstellar clouds, the sites of stars, and planet formation require information about spin-state chemistry to allow quantitative comparison with spectroscopic observations. In particular, it is important to know if…
Interstellar CO2 is an important reservoir of carbon and oxygen, and one of the major constituents of the icy mantles of dust grains, but it is not observable directly in the cold gas because has no permanent dipole moment. Its protonated…
We present a new method for the simultaneous calculation of the cosmic ray ionization rate, zeta(H2), and the ionization fraction, chi(e), in dense molecular clouds. A simple network of chemical reactions dominant in the creation and…
Complex organic molecules (COMs) have been observed not only in the hot cores surrounding low- and high- mass protostars, but also in cold dark clouds. Therefore, it is interesting to understand how such species can be formed without the…
The reaction between He$^+$ and CH$_3$F forming predominantly CH$_2^+$ and CHF$^+$ has been studied at collision energies $E_{\rm coll}$ between 0 and $k_{\rm B}\cdot 10$~K in a merged-beam apparatus. To avoid heating of the ions by stray…
Star formation depends on the available gaseous "fuel" as well as galactic environment, with higher specific star formation rates where gas is predominantly molecular and where stellar (and dark matter) densities are higher. The partition…
H$_3^+$ emission is the dominant cooling mechanism in Jupiter's thermosphere and a useful probe of temperature and ion densities. The H$_3^+$ ion is predicted to form in the thermospheres of close-in `hot Jupiters' where its emission would…
In star-forming regions, molecular cloud history and dynamics set the trend in the chemical composition. Ice formation, in particular, is affected by the evolution of physical conditions, which can lead to different ice compositions within…
Although they are only minor constituents of the interstellar medium, halogen-containing molecules are of special interest because of their unique thermochemistry. Here, we present a theoretical study of the chemistry of interstellar…
A basic model for the formation of non-equilibrium rotational energy distributions is described for reactive, homo-polar diatomic molecules and ions in the interstellar medium. Kinetic models were constructed to calculate the rotational…
Ethanol (CH3CH2OH) has been detected in interstellar ices within regions associated with the early stages of star and planet formation. Its solid-phase pathways can lead to diverse conditions that can significantly influence its…