U.S.-France Cooperative Research: Interstellar Clouds and Circumstellar Matter

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This award will support collaborative research in astronomy between Drs. Alfred Glassgold, W. D. Langer and P. J. Huggins, New York University and Dr. A. O. Omont, Institute for Astrophysics, Paris, France. The investigators propose a joint program to investigate interstellar clouds and circumst- ellar matter, which will focus in three areas: circumsteller chemistry, multifrequency studies of the physical properties of interstellar clouds, and planetary nebulae. Part one of the project seeks to elucidate the physical and dynamical properties of nearby interstellar clouds by complementary observations with radio telescopes in the US and France. Part two involves further significant development of the photochemical model for the circumstellar envelopes of red giants with large mass-loss rates. The last part of the program deals with observations of the molecular component of planetary nebulae, mainly with the IRAM 30 millimeter wave telescope. The objective is to elucidate the evolutionary properties of planetary nebulae, particularly their connection with red giant envelopes and the structure of ionized nebulae. The use of the French-German IRAM telescope will make available observations of circumstellar envelopes, including planetary nebulae, that cannot be obtained with instrumentation now available in the US. The project will benefit from the extensive and complementary expertise of the US and French investigators in the areas of interstellar clouds and circumstellar matter. The results of this research are expected to advance significantly the understanding of several important aspects of the late stages of stellar evolution.