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NRAO/Socorro Colloquium Series

Eric Herbst

University of Virginia

COM's and Their Formation in Assorted Interstellar Sources

Complex organic molecules (COM’s) are partially saturated molecules with six or more atoms found in the gas phase of assorted interstellar sources such as hot cores and corinos, infra-red dark clouds, and even cold cores. Although these species are detected in the gas, their formation involves both grain surface and gas-phase chemistry. In hot cores and corinos, COM’s are most likely formed during the warm-up phase of protostellar sources as gas and dust collapse towards the central protostar or towards a growing protoplanetary disk. In cold cores, the mechanism of formation of COM’s is still a mystery although it may involve efficient non-thermal desorption from dust grains caused by the energy given off by exothermic chemical reactions. In protoplanetary disks, our models predict that COM’s can be formed even on cold icy grains although they likely remain there. In infrared dark clouds, the mechanism for formation of these species, which have been newly detected, is similar to that in hot cores except that the temperatures do not warm up as much as in hot cores.

May 31, 2013
11:00 am

Array Operations Center Auditorium

All NRAO employees are invited to attend via video, available in Charlottesville Auditorium, Green Bank Room 137 and Tucson N525.

Local Host: Mark Claussen