Astrochemistry

About the course

The space between the stars, the interstellar medium, has been shown to have a surprisingly rich chemistry with over one hundred different molecules detected, ranging from simple diatomic molecules to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and even fullerenes of seventy atoms. The extremely low densities and temperatures found in interstellar clouds have even led to some molecules being discovered in space before discovery in the laboratory.

Understanding how atoms and simple molecules are assembled into more complex ones in astrophysical environments, including prebiotic species and the biochemical building blocks for life, is one of the significant challenges in contemporary science. This course covers the build-up of molecules from just after the Big Bang to present-day stars and planets.