In the interstellar medium (ISM), UV processing leads to significant chemical transformations in hydrocarbons. Aliphatic hydrocarbons such as alkanes, commonly formed in evolved stars, undergo dehydrogenation primarily through UV-induced photocleavage of C–C bonds rather than direct hydrogen elimination. This study combines experimental data and ab initio calculations to understand how…
In the atmosphere of carbon-rich (C-rich) asymptotic giant branch stars (AGBs), silicon chemistry plays an important role as is revealed by the detection of silane (SiH4) and organosilicon compounds such as methyl silane (CH3SiH3) and sylil cyanide (SiH3CN). To deepen the understanding on the formation of silicon bearing molecules in…
The last module of Stardust, INFRA-ICE, is ready! This module is dedicated to simulate the chemistry taking place in the densest regions of the interstellar medium, the so-called dense molecular clouds. As such, INFRA-ICE expands the capabilities of Stardust allowing for the complete journey of cosmic dust to be…
Background image: Spiral structure around the red giant star R Sculptoris. Credit: ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO)/M. Maercker et al. The formation of interstellar carbon dust in dying stars is still not fully understood. In particular, the interaction of atomic carbon with the most abundant chemical species in the atmosphere of red…
The first results of astrophysical relevance obtained with the Stardust machine evidence a prevalence of non-aromatic species in the inner regions of circumstellar envelopes Image taken from https://www.bbvaopenmind.com/ciencia/fisica/un-viaje-a-la-ultima-frontera-i-las-atmosferas-de-las-estrellas/ This work is part of the results obtained in the framework of the European project ERC…