Radio observations of molecules in the interstellar gas

Details Radio observations of molecules in the interstellar gas Radio observations of molecules in the interstellar gas

Dec 1981

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1981rspta.303..469t&link_type=abstract

(Royal Society, Discussion on Molecules in Interstellar Space, London, England, May 20, 21, 1981.) Royal Society (London), Philo

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astronomy

10

Astronomical Spectroscopy, Interstellar Gas, Molecular Clouds, Radio Sources (Astronomy), Astronomical Maps, Carbon Monoxide, Line Spectra, Molecular Rotation, Positive Ions

Scientific paper

Since 1968, radio astronomy has made it possible to identify nearly 50 molecules in the dense concentrations of the interstellar gas now generally termed molecular clouds. Most interstellar molecules are familiar stable compounds. However, one-fifth of the discovered species are ions, radicals, and acetylenic carbon chains so reactive in the laboratory that before being detected in space they had rarely been observed or were entirely unknown. The heavy atom backbone of the known interstellar molecules is a linear chain of C, N, O, or S. Si is found in two diatomic molecules. Rings and branched chains are missing. The most readily observed spectral lines of most interstellar molecules correspond to rotational transitions at millimeter wavelengths. These are generally excited by H2 collisions. A number of rare isotopic species are observed in interstellar molecules. Isotopic ratios differing from those on Earth exist, and can in almost all cases be attributed to stellar nucleosynthesis since the formation of the solar system.

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