Research Initiation Award: Laboratory Investigation of Heterogeneous Chemistry of Exoplanetary Atmospheres

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

The Historically Black Colleges and Universities Undergraduate Program (HBCU-UP) through Research Initiation Awards provide support for junior and mid-career faculty at Historically Black Colleges and Universities who are building new research programs or redirecting and rebuilding existing research programs. It is expected that the award helps to further the faculty member's research capability and effectiveness and improve research and teaching at the home institution. Advancements in observations and modeling of planetary and exoplanetary atmospheres have created new opportunities in space research to identify potential future habitats for humanity. Simulated laboratory experiments mimicking the atmospheric environments of exoplanets may reveal the complex roles of catalytic surfaces in the formation of atmospheric haze and refractory materials. These experiments, in combination with mathematical models and telescopic observations, can help in the search of the “perfect” atmosphere for habitability. Research, training, and education of minority students will aid in the increase of the under-represented population group in the U.S. science and engineering work force while enhancing the research capabilities of Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University. Sophisticated chemical modeling of exoplanetary atmospheres is often utilized to infer the associated reactions and chemical compositions. However, these models suffer from lack of fundamental data, such as the rate of reactions and identity of products which often leads to a failure to describe the observations. Hence, laboratory experiments simulating atmospheric environments are the key to plug the gap between modeling and observations. The principal investigator is proposing to utilize a laboratory, dedicated to the understanding of fundamental physical and chemical processes in exoplanetary atmospheres and, to investigate chemical reactions. Heterogeneous atmospheric reactions on the surfaces of solid particles or liquid droplets will be investigated at a controlled gas pressure, radiation and temperature, simulating the exoplanetary environments. In situ Raman spectroscopy and ex situ surface imaging techniques help characterize the reaction products. Further insights into the molecular mechanisms of these reactions are gained from computational methods. These experiments and computations can provide fundamental data required to model such atmospheres, and may reveal the complex roles of catalytic surfaces in the conversion of gas-to-particle and formation of haze and refractory materials.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.