When
3:30 p.m., Nov. 1, 2011
Where
Kuiper Space Sciences 308
Dr. Lucy Ziurys
Professor
UA Department of Astronomy and Chemistry
"Organics, Minerals, and Isotopes: A Radio Astronomical View of Pre-Solar History"
Abstract:
Understanding the connection between the interstellar gas and the pre-solar nebula is crucial in understanding solar system formation and the origin of life. Important ingredients in this regard are both organic and inorganic materials, while isotopic composition provides insight into stellar origins and Galactic Chemical Evolution. Using the telescopes of the Arizona Radio Observatory (ARO), we have been examining the organic inventory in molecular clouds and the origin of organic chemistry. Molecular line observations have been conducted which trace the history of carbon in stellar nucleosynthesis, its ejection into the interstellar medium, and its subsequent incorporation into dense molecular clouds. A similar study is being conducted to trace metal-containing compounds and their cycling through interstellar gas. New observations have also been carried out to further constrain circumstellar and interstellar isotopic ratios, including 14N/15N. These observational studies are supported by a laboratory high-resolution spectroscopy program utilizing millimeter/sub-mm direct absorption and Fourier transform microwave techniques. Results of these studies will be presented, and their implications for astrobiology.
Professor
UA Department of Astronomy and Chemistry
"Organics, Minerals, and Isotopes: A Radio Astronomical View of Pre-Solar History"
Abstract:
Understanding the connection between the interstellar gas and the pre-solar nebula is crucial in understanding solar system formation and the origin of life. Important ingredients in this regard are both organic and inorganic materials, while isotopic composition provides insight into stellar origins and Galactic Chemical Evolution. Using the telescopes of the Arizona Radio Observatory (ARO), we have been examining the organic inventory in molecular clouds and the origin of organic chemistry. Molecular line observations have been conducted which trace the history of carbon in stellar nucleosynthesis, its ejection into the interstellar medium, and its subsequent incorporation into dense molecular clouds. A similar study is being conducted to trace metal-containing compounds and their cycling through interstellar gas. New observations have also been carried out to further constrain circumstellar and interstellar isotopic ratios, including 14N/15N. These observational studies are supported by a laboratory high-resolution spectroscopy program utilizing millimeter/sub-mm direct absorption and Fourier transform microwave techniques. Results of these studies will be presented, and their implications for astrobiology.
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