| Description |
We will carry out a comprehensive spectroscopic study of key molecular
line carriers, probing interstellar hydrides and carbon chains.
Our investigation will entail high-resolution HIFI spectroscopy
of some 25 molecules towards 8 sources, and full spectral scans with
PACS. The target hydrides contain the elements H, D, C, N, O, F and
Cl. We will take advantage of the strong dust emission from
massive star forming regions to detect multiple absorption components
from foreground clouds of diverse properties that are known to
intersect the selected sight-lines, along with emission and absorption
intrinsic to the
background sources. Our investigation will provide a wealth
of new information about interstellar hydrides --
addressing key puzzles posed by previous observations from the ground
since the 1940.s, and recently with ISO, SWAS, and ODIN -- and leaving
an important Herschel legacy to astrochemistry and ISM science. We
will address the role of high temperature chemical reactions in the
formation of interstellar molecules, and the question of how such
reactions might be driven. We will also investigate the role of grain
surface reactions in interstellar chemistry, and the growth of carbon
molecules, bridging the gap between molecules and aggregates, as
unique spectroscopic signatures of carbon chains and rings,
are accessible in the FIR.
Many of the lines that are detectable with Herschel in the local
Universe become accessible to ground-based observatories for
redshifted sources. Our programme will provide an unique
benchmark for the studies of molecular gas at high redshift with ALMA. |
| Publication |
Molecular ion abundances in the diffuse ISM: CF+, HCO+, HOC+, and C3H+ . Gerin M. et al. . Astronomy & Astrophysics, Volume 622, id.A26, 15 pp. . 622 . 10.1051\/0004-6361\/201833661 . 2019A&A...622A..26G ,
Herschel/HIFI measurements of the ortho/para ratio in water towards Sagittarius B2(M) and W31C . Lis D. C. et al. . Astronomy and Astrophysics, Volume 521, id.L26, 5 pp. . 521 . 10.1051\/0004-6361\/201015072 . 2010A&A...521L..26L ,
Far-infrared study of tracers of oxygen chemistry in diffuse clouds . Wiesemeyer H. et al. . Astronomy & Astrophysics, Volume 585, id.A76, 18 pp. . 585 . 10.1051\/0004-6361\/201526473 . 2016A&A...585A..76W ,
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