Laboratory astrophysics: Key to understanding the Universe

Abstract

This brief overview stresses the importance of laboratory data and theory in analyzing astronomical observations and understanding the physical and chemical processes that drive the astrophysical phenomena in our Universe. This includes basic atomic and molecular data such as spectroscopy and collisional rate coefficients, but also an improved understanding of nuclear, plasma and particle physics, as well as reactions and photoprocesses in the gaseous and solid state that lead to chemical complexity and building blocks for life. Systematic laboratory collision experiments have provided detailed insight into the steps that produce pebbles, bricks and ultimately planetesimals starting from sub-μ-sized grains. Sample return missions and meteoritic studies benefit from increasingly sophisticated laboratory machines to analyze materials and provide compositional images on nanometer scales. Prioritization of future data requirements will be needed to cope with the increasing data streams from a diverse range of future astronomical facilities within a constrained laboratory astrophysics budget.

Rotational spectroscopy of imidazole: Accurate spectroscopic information for three vibrationally excited states and the heavy-atom isotopologues up to 295 GHz

“…Indeed, as noted in Ref. [10], these species are believed to be the source of many unidentified lines. The percentage of unidentified lines can be as much as 70% in very deep observations at ALMA Bands 3 (84-116 GHz) and 6 (211-275 GHz) [11].…”