Related papers: Carbon Chains and Methanol toward Embedded Protost…
To better understand the initial conditions of the high-mass star formation process, it is crucial to study at high-angular resolution the morphology, the kinematics, and eventually the interactions of the coldest condensations associated…
Methanol (CH$_{3}$OH) is a key complex organic molecule (COM) in the interstellar medium, widely used as a tracer of dense gas and hot molecular cores (HMCs). Using high-resolution ALMA observations from the ATOMS survey, we investigate the…
We have performed new laboratory experiments which gave us the possibility to obtain an estimate of the amount of carbon chain oxides (namely C3O2, C2O, and C3O) formed after irradiation (with 200 keV protons) of pure CO ice, at 16 K. The…
The icy mantles of interstellar dust grains are the birthplaces of the primordial prebiotic molecular inventory that may eventually seed nascent solar systems and the planets and planetesimals that form therein. Here, we present a study of…
Context. "Snow lines", marking regions where abundant volatiles freeze out onto the surface of dust grains, play an important role for planet growth and bulk composition in protoplanetary disks. They can already be observed in the envelopes…
The formation of complex organic molecules in the interstellar medium (ISM) is central to astrochemistry and prebiotic chemistry, as these species may act as precursors to biomolecules essential for life. Although glyceraldehyde…
Gas-phase complex organic molecules have been detected toward a range of high- and low-mass star-forming regions at abundances which cannot be explained by any known gas-phase chemistry. Recent laboratory experiments show that UV…
A ring of dense molecular gas extending 2-7 pc orbits the supermassive black hole Sgr A* at the center of our Galaxy. Using the Green Bank Telescope, we detected water maser lines and both narrow (0.35 km/s) and broad (30 - 50 km/s)…
Long-chain hydrocarbon anions CnH- (n=4, 6, 8) have recently been found to be abundant in a variety of interstellar clouds. In order to explain their large abundances in the denser (prestellar/protostellar) environments, new chemical models…
The formation of complex organic molecules (COMs) in protostellar environments is a hotly debated topic. In particular, the relative importance of the gas phase processes as compared to a direct formation of COMs on the dust grain surfaces…
Forty years ago it was proposed that gas phase organic chemistry in the interstellar medium was initiated by the methyl cation CH3+, but hitherto it has not been observed outside the Solar System. Alternative routes involving processes on…
The Central Molecular Zone (CMZ) contains a substantial reservoir of dense molecular gas, where numerous young stellar objects (YSOs) and dense cloud cores have been identified. However, the large distance and severe foreground extinction…
Dust grains play an important role in the synthesis of molecules in the interstellar medium, from the simplest species to complex organic molecules. How some of these solid-state molecules are converted into gas-phase species is still a…
Complex organic molecules with three carbon atoms are found in the earliest stages of star formation. In particular, propenal (C$_2$H$_3$CHO) is a species of interest due to its implication in the formation of more complex species and even…
Observational studies reveal that complex organic molecules (COMs) can be found in various objects associated with different star formation stages. The identification of COMs in prestellar cores, i.e., cold environments in which thermally…
Gas-phase processes were long thought to be the key formation mechanisms for complex organic molecules in star-forming regions. However, recent experimental and theoretical evidence has cast doubt on the efficiency of such processes.…
Complex organic molecules serve as indicators of molecular diversity. Their detection on comets, planets, and moons has prompted inquiries into their origins, particularly the conditions conducive to their formation. One hypothesis suggests…
The origin and evolution of organic molecules represent a pivotal issue in the fields of astrobiology and astrochemistry, potentially shedding light on the origins of life. The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), with its exceptional…
Complex organic molecules (COM) are detected in many sources in the warm inner regions of envelopes surrounding deeply embedded protostars. Exactly how these COM form remains an open question. This study aims to constrain the formation of…
Most low-mass protostars form in clusters, in particular high-mass clusters; however, how low-mass stars form in high-mass clusters and what the mass distribution is, are still open questions both in our own Galaxy and elsewhere. To access…