There's life Jim....but we don't KNOW it (yet): a journey through the chemically controlled cosmos from star birth to the formation of life
by
Helen Fraser(Dept. of Physics, Univ. of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK)
→
Europe/Stockholm
Nordita Seminar Room
Nordita Seminar Room
Description
A tour of star and planet formation - taking a look at the latest observational results of new planets and stars in our 'local' neighborhood.
In particular I'll show how chemistry and spectroscopy are powerful tools in unravelling the star formation process, and how, through a combination of laboratory, theoretical and observational astrochemistry we are beginning to understand the processes of star birth.
I'll explain some of the key chemistry going on, and promise that not even a cosmologist will look at the 21cm line the same way again!!
Given that chemistry is a key player in star formation, the obvious question is what about the chemical cosmos and the chemistry of life.. how far can we move down the 'astrobiology road' and make the direct links between our chemical universe and 'ET'?...
