Related papers: Efficiency of Molecular Hydrogen Formation on Sili…
We report the first ensemble results from the FUSE survey of molecular hydrogen in lines of sight with A_V $\gtrsim$ 1 mag. We have developed techniques for fitting computed profiles to the low-J lines of H2, and thus determining column…
A prevailing theory for the interstellar production of complex organic molecules (COMs) involves formation on warm dust-grain surfaces, via the diffusion and reaction of radicals produced through grain-surface photodissociation of stable…
Although still poorly understood, the chemistry that occurs on the surfaces of interstellar dust particles profoundly affects the growth of molecules in the interstellar medium. An important set of surface reactions produces icy mantles of…
Interstellar hydrides -- that is, molecules containing a single heavy element atom with one or more hydrogen atoms -- were among the first molecules detected outside the solar system. They lie at the root of interstellar chemistry, being…
This paper presents a statistical explanation of filament formation in the galactic atomic hydrogen. Recently developed technique allows to determine the 3D spectrum of random HI density. We claim that even in the absence of dynamical…
We present an efficient heating/cooling method coupled with chemistry and ultraviolet (UV) radiative transfer, which can be applied to numerical simulations of the interstellar medium (ISM). We follow the time-dependent evolution of…
Stars form within molecular clouds but our understanding of this fundamental process remains hampered by the complexity of the physics that drives their evolution. We review our observational and theoretical knowledge of molecular clouds…
Diffuse emission in the mid-infrared shows a wealth of structure, that lends itself to high-resolution structure analysis of the interstellar gas. A large part of the emission comes from polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, excited by nearby…
Observations of nearby galaxies have firmly established, over a broad range of galactic environments and metallicities, that star formation occurs exclusively in the molecular phase of the interstellar medium (ISM). Theoretical models show…
Rocky planet atmospheres form and evolve through interactions between the planet's surface and interior. If a growing rocky planet acquires enough mass prior to the dissipation of the nebular gas disk, it can gravitationally capture a…
The immiscibility of hydrogen-helium mixture under the temperature and pressure conditions of planetary interiors is crucial for understanding the structures of gas giant planets (e.g., Jupiter and Saturn). While the experimental probe at…
Gas-grain and gas-phase reactions dominate the formation of molecules in the interstellar medium (ISM). Gas-grain reactions require a substrate (e.g. a dust or ice grain) on which the reaction is able to occur. The formation of molecular…
Metals are the most common materials used in space technology. Metal structures, while used in space, are subjected to the full spectrum of the electromagnetic radiation together with particle irradiation. Hence, they undergo degradation.…
The ISO and Spitzer space observatories yielded a treasure trove of data on dust and ices covering dust grains. Now Herschel, and soon SOFIA and ALMA, will provide unprecedented views of the molecular world of the interstellar medium (ISM).…
[Abridged] Ethylene oxide and its isomer acetaldehyde are important complex organic molecules because of their potential role in the formation of amino acids. Despite the fact that acetaldehyde is ubiquitous in the interstellar medium,…
This paper continues our study of the behaviour of near infrared helium recombination lines in planetary nebula. We find that the 1.7007um 4^3D-3^3P HeI line is a good measure of the HeI recombination rate, since it varies smoothly with the…
The first FUV (lambda lambda 1350-1750 A) spectral imaging observations of the Eridanus superbubble, obtained with the SPEAR/FIMS mission, have revealed distinct fluorescent emission from molecular hydrogen. In this study, the observed…
We review here the main direct or indirect ways to detect the possible presence of large amounts of cold molecular hydrogen in the outer parts of disk galaxies, an hypothesis that we have recently developed. Direct ways range from H2…
The interstellar medium (ISM) provides a unique laboratory for highly supersonic, driven hydrodynamics turbulence. We present a theory of such turbulence, confirm it by numerical simulations, and use the results to explain observational…
On its journey through the Galaxy, the Sun passes through diverse regions of the interstellar medium. High-resolution spectroscopic measurements of interstellar absorption lines in spectra of nearby stars show absorption components from…