Chemistry in the ISM and disks on the verge of planet formation

Details Chemistry in the ISM and disks on the verge of planet formation Chemistry in the ISM and disks on the verge of planet formation

Dec 2009

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2009phdt.........4v&link_type=abstract

PhD thesis

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astronomy

Astrochemistry

Scientific paper

The general purpose of the thesis work is to improve astrochemical models in the era of ALMA. This era is characterized by the active study of protoplanetary disks and the search for extraterrestrial life.
First, we study how uncertainties in the rate coefficients of chemical reactions affect the abundances and column densities of key molecules in protoplanetary disks. We isolate a group of key species which have column densities that are not very sensitive to the rate uncertainties, making them good potential tracers of physical conditions in disks. We identify about a hundred reactions with the most problematic rate coefficients, which need to be determined more accurately in order to improve the reliability of modern astrochemical models.
Second, we build a realistic astrochemical model using a Monte Carlo approach to all chemical processes, which is the first time this has been done. This allows us to properly take into account the stochastic nature of grain surface chemical reactions, which are of essential importance for the formation of organic molecules -- i.e., the precursors of life as we know it. The recent modified rate approach (MRE) of Garrod et al. (2008) is shown to be the most accurate fast approach of accounting for stochastic effects in astrochemical modeling.
Finally, we apply our model to the study of the chemical composition of an evolving protoplanetary disk with grain growth, in order to reveal chemical tracers of this process. For the first time, a state-of-the-art astrochemical model is coupled with a detailed model of grain growth and sedimentation.

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