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

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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.