Laboratory astrochemistry: Spectroscopy and chemistry of astrophysical analogue ices
György Tarczay
Eötvös Loránd University, Department of Inorganic Chemistry, Hungary


Since the first discovery of interstellar molecular species in 1937, nearly 200 molecules species have been identified in interstellar or circumstellar clouds. Only in 2018 six new molecular species were identified. For the rapid increase of the number of identified interstellar molecules, not only developments in astronomical observations, but also extensive laboratory experiments were mandatory. Although all the definitive identifications were based on gas phase spectroscopy, it is now well accepted that the chemical reactions on the surface of interstellar grains are at least as important as the gas phase reactions. The most notable example is the formation of molecular hydrogen, which is an inefficient process in the gas phase.

Since the astrophysical conditions are very different from the ones that chemists get used to, the investigation of chemical reactions with astrochemical relevance is a challenge for chemists. I will discuss the modern laboratory experiments on interstellar ices. I will mention technical problems and solutions, trends in this research field, and the main outputs that are useful for astronomers.

I will present two of our collaborative results in details:

  1. Formation of silicon bearing molecules in interstellar ices. (Collaboration with Ralf Kaiser, at University of Hawaii.)
  2. I will shed light on why a correlation was found in the ISM between the abundance of HNCO, and the abundance of the smallest molecule with a peptide bond, formamide. (Collaboration with Yuan-Pern Lee and Karolina Haupa, NCTU, Taiwan.)

Finally, I will present our efforts to plan and build a new instrument at Eötvös University with unique capabilities for investigation of astrophysical analogue ices and astrochemical reactions.