Modelling Astrochemical Processes in the Universe

Topic: Extragalactic Astrophysics

Session Title: Modelling Astrochemical Processes in the UniverseModelling Astrochemical Processes in the Universe

Description:

The chemistry of ions and molecules plays a crucial role in understanding many physical systems across a wide range of scales throughout the Universe. On the smallest scales, understanding the chemistry of exoplanet atmospheres allows us to probe the physical conditions on these distant worlds, whilst the chemistry of proto-planetary discs can govern how these worlds are forming. Modelling the chemistry of comets also gives us valuable insights into the origins of our Solar System. On intermediate scales, the chemistry of molecular clouds can regulate the birth of new stars in these stellar nurseries. Meanwhile, on the largest scales, the chemistry of the interstellar and circum-galactic medium can govern how gas cools and feeds galaxy formation, whilst cosmological chemical processes can determine the reionisation of the Universe and also drives the creation of elements in the early Universe through Big Bang Nucleosynthesis. 

The aim of this session is to bring together researchers studying astrochemical processes across this huge range in physical scales, in particular so we can learn about the various processes that drive the chemistry on these different scales. The key questions that we will tackle in this session include: 

1) How can we model astrochemical processes on different physical scales?

2) How can we incorporate these astrochemical models into hydrodynamic simulations of these different physical systems?

3) How can we leverage the astrochemical modelling to create synthetic observations of emission and absorption lines from our simulations?

Organiser(s): Alex Richings, David Benoit, & Harley Katz 

Schedule:

Venue: WILB-LT15

Session 1: Tuesday 16^th July, 15:00 – 17:00

Venue: WILB-LT15

Session 2: Wednesday 17^th July, 9:00 – 11:00