The interaction of cosmic fullerenes with their environment:confronting models with observations

宇宙富勒烯与其环境的相互作用：模型与观测结果的对比

• 批准号: RGPIN-2021-04197
• 负责人: Cami, Jan
• 金额: $ 2.48万
• 依托单位: University of Western Ontario
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2021-01-01 至 2022-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=742922
• 关键词: interaction; cosmic; fullerenes; their; environment

Shortly after the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) launches on October 31st, 2021, Canadian astronomers will be among the first scientists to study the infrared (IR) Universe using the most sensitive and powerful eyes on the skies in human history. Encoded in the many breathtaking images that JWST will provide, are the fingerprints of a unique carbonaceous compound: buckyballs - a compound made of 60 carbon atoms arranged in the shape of a soccer balls. Buckyballs are the largest molecules known in space, and they are the only identified members of the "aromatic" molecules - species whose microscopic structure resembles honeycomb patterns. Aromatic molecules contain about 15% of all the carbon in the Universe. Their structure gives them "superpowers" that allow them to thrive especially well in some of the harshest, highly irradiated environments in space. In fact, they turn into productive molecular machines that efficiently convert high-energy UV radiation into lower energy infrared light, and they can also eject or capture electrons or hydrogen atoms as the conditions demand. This makes them a class of super-stable species that furthermore significantly affect their immediate surroundings by changing the radiation field and the temperature of the gas. Consequently, these microscopic particles play key roles in large-scale processes such as star formation and galaxy evolution. However, while we have seen buckyballs in many different cosmic environments, we do not know how they form, and we have an incomplete understanding of the physical processes that cause them to glow in the IR. This will change owing to observations with the JWST. Its vision is so sharp, that it can easily pinpoint precisely where buckyballs are emitting. It will also provide us with detailed information about the physical conditions at those locations as well as exquisitely detailed spectral characteristics of the buckyball's fingerprints. I will analyze those observations for different astrophysical objects, and create models to fundamentally understand the physical processes that lead to these observed spectral characteristics. Since the same processes will affect all aromatic species in space, the proposed research will lead to a much improved understanding of the cosmic organic inventory, especially in regions of star and planet formation, and of the evolution of the interstellar medium and thus the evolution of galaxies.

詹姆斯·韦伯太空望远镜 (JWST) 于 2021 年 10 月 31 日发射后不久，加拿大天文学家将成为第一批使用人类历史上最灵敏、最强大的天空眼睛来研究红外 (IR) 宇宙的科学家之一。 JWST 将提供的许多令人惊叹的图像中都编码了一种独特的碳质化合物的指纹：巴基球 - 一种由 60 个碳原子组成的化合物，排列成足球形状。巴基球是太空中已知的最大分子，它们是“芳香”分子中唯一被识别的成员，“芳香”分子的微观结构类似于蜂窝图案。芳香族分子约占宇宙中所有碳的 15%。它们的结构赋予它们“超能力”，使它们能够在太空中一些最恶劣、高辐射的环境中尤其茁壮成长。事实上，它们变成了高效的分子机器，可以有效地将高能紫外线辐射转化为较低能量的红外光，并且它们还可以根据条件需要喷射或捕获电子或氢原子。这使它们成为一类超稳定的物种，通过改变辐射场和气体温度，进一步显着影响其周围环境。因此，这些微观粒子在恒星形成和星系演化等大规模过程中发挥着关键作用。然而，虽然我们在许多不同的宇宙环境中看到了巴基球，但我们不知道它们是如何形成的，而且我们对导致它们在红外线中发光的物理过程也不完全了解。由于 JWST 的观察，这种情况将会改变。它的视力非常敏锐，可以轻松精确地确定巴基球发射的位置。它还将为我们提供有关这些地点的物理条件的详细信息以及巴基球指纹的精致详细的光谱特征。我将分析不同天体物理物体的这些观测结果，并创建模型，从根本上理解导致这些观测到的光谱特征的物理过程。由于相同的过程将影响太空中的所有芳香族物质，因此拟议的研究将大大提高对宇宙有机物库存的理解，特别是在恒星和行星形成的区域，以及星际介质的演化，从而加深对宇宙有机物演化的理解。星系。