CAREER: Are Weakly-Bound Molecular Clusters Important in Astrochemistry? Interdisciplinary Studies of H5+ and HO3

埃默里大学的Susanna Widicus Weaver获得了化学系化学结构、动力学和机制计划颁发的职业奖，负责对弱束缚星团H5和H03进行太赫兹(THz)光谱研究和天体化学搜索。这些星系团和其他弱结合星系团可能在星际介质(ISM)复杂化学的发展中发挥重要作用，但指导观测搜索的实验室研究一直有限。这项研究试图通过对H5的同位素的研究来考察星系团离子在气相星际化学中的作用；通过对HO3加合物的研究来研究密集星际环境中中性星系团的形成和稳定性；并将实验室测量与观测天文学和天体化学模型相结合，以获得弱结合星系团在天体化学中的作用的完整图景。威迪克斯·韦弗的研究重点是星际空间恒星和行星形成区域出现的化学复杂性。她的研究计划借鉴了实验室光谱学、观测天文学和天体化学建模的前沿。她正在结合这些技术来研究不稳定的分子，这些分子对于理解星际化学中的化学路径非常重要。她使用光谱结果作为在太空中搜索这些分子的指南。通过这些观测，她可以确定这些物种在星际云中的丰度、温度和空间分布。然后，她使用这些信息来模拟星际化学，并测试不同物理条件的影响，以获得对星际介质更好的化学理解。

Susanna Widicus Weaver of Emory University, is supported by a CAREER award from the Chemical Structure, Dynamics and Mechanisms program in the Chemistry Division to conduct a terahertz (THz) spectroscopic study and astrochemical search for the weakly-bound clusters H5+ and HO3. These and other weakly-bound clusters may play important roles in the development of complex chemistry in the interstellar medium (ISM), but laboratory studies to guide observational searches have been limited. This research seeks to examine the role of cluster ions in gas-phase interstellar chemistry through studies of the isotopologues of H5+; investigate the formation and stability of neutral clusters in dense interstellar environments through studies of the HO3 adduct; and integrate laboratory measurements with observational astronomy and astrochemical modeling to obtain a complete picture of the role of weakly-bound clusters in astrochemistry. Widicus Weaver's research focuses on the emergence of chemical complexity in the star- and planet-forming regions of interstellar space. Her research program draws from the forefronts of laboratory spectroscopy, observational astronomy, and astrochemical modeling. She is combining these techniques to study unstable molecules that are important for understanding chemical pathways in interstellar chemistry. She uses the spectroscopic results as a guide to search for these molecules in space. From these observations, she can determine the abundance, temperature, and spatial distribution of these species in interstellar clouds. She then uses this information to model interstellar chemistry and test the influence of varying physical conditions to gain a better chemical understanding of the interstellar medium.