| Description |
We propose HIFI spectral line surveys of interstellar clouds to probe the influence of physical environment on molecular complexity. We will observe a statistically-significant sample of sources, cover a range of physical environments, and target selected frequency windows containing transitions from several known complex organic molecules. The goal of these observations is to correlate the relative abundances of organic molecules with the physical properties of the source (i.e. temperature, density, age, dynamics, etc.). Our broader research goal is to improve astrochemical models to the point where accurate predictions of complex molecular inventory can be made based on a given sources physical and chemical environment. The information gained from our proposed Herschel observations will serve as a benchmark for these astrochemical models and holds the promise of significantly advancing our understanding of interstellar chemical processes. |
| Keywords |
Herschel Space Observatory data, ESA Herschel mission dataset, far-infrared astronomy observations, submillimeter astronomy data, infrared space telescope observations, PACS photometer data, PACS spectrometer data, SPIRE photometer data, SPIRE Fourier transform spectrometer data, HIFI heterodyne spectroscopy data, far-infrared spectroscopy dataset, submillimeter spectral line observations, cold universe observations dataset, star formation infrared data, molecular cloud far-infrared observations, interstellar medium spectroscopy data, protoplanetary disk infrared observations, galaxy evolution far-infrared data, dust emission submillimeter observations, cosmic infrared background measurements, extragalactic infrared survey data, calibrated level 2 data products, FITS files astronomy, spectral cubes far-infrared, flux-calibrated maps, continuum photometry data, spectral energy distribution measurements, ESA Herschel Science Archive data |
