U.S.-France Cooperative Research: Collision Induced Absorption of H2-X Complexes in Infrared

这一为期三年的奖项支持德克萨斯大学奥斯汀分校的W.Lothar Frommhold和巴黎大学(South)的Jean-Pierre Bouanich等人在天体物理学方面的美法合作研究。他们研究的目的是在基本分子水平上提高对碰撞诱导吸收过程的物理学的理解。弗龙霍尔德博士在碰撞诱导吸收的理论方面是公认的领导者。他在德克萨斯州的团队对氢分子对的吸收光谱进行了计算。法国小组在碰撞诱导吸收的实验室测量方面的出色实验记录补充了这一点。德克萨斯小组建议将他们的理论结果与法国小组的高质量测量结果进行比较。在这一过程中，将获得重要和可靠的新数据。这个项目引起了天体物理学家的主要兴趣，他们专门研究外行星和冷恒星的大气，其中氢和氦是主要元素。碰撞诱导吸收理论工作的验证将促进我们对碰撞诱导吸收过程及其在塌陷云中恒星形成中的应用的理解。

This three-year award supports U.S.-France cooperative research in astrophysics between W. Lothar Frommhold of the University of Texas at Austin and Jean-Pierre Bouanich and others at the University of Paris (South). The objective of their research is to improve understanding of the physics of collision induced absorption processes at the fundamental molecular level. Dr. Frommhold is a recognized leader in the theoretical aspects of collision induced absorption. His group in Texas has produced computations of absorption spectra of hydrogen molecular pairs. This is complemented by the French group's excellent experimental record in laboratory measurements of collision induced absorption. The Texas group proposes to compare their theoretical results with the high quality measurements of the French group. In the process, significant and reliable new data will be obtained. The project is of major interest to astrophysicists specializing in the atmosphere of outer planets and cool stars where hydrogen and helium are major elements. The verification of the theoretical work in collision induced absorption will advance our understanding of the process and its application to star formation in collapsing clouds.