From atoms to prebiotic molecules on the surface of cosmic dust grains

重新提交的研究项目将涉及重要的有机分子和前生物分子的形成，这些分子可以作为在地球或系外行星上形成更复杂的生物构建模块的前体材料。在星际介质和原行星盘中产生的生命前分子，以及它们最终通过彗星和陨石向行星的输送和积累，代表了复杂有机物通过天体化学过程演化的一个有趣的场景。氨基酸和糖分子可以被认为是重要的生物相关分子，因为它们分别是蛋白质和核苷的构建单元。氨基酸和糖分子的前体已经在不同的天体物理环境中被发现。甘氨酸，最简单的氨基酸，已在彗星和陨石中发现。这项研究计划致力于在ISM中普遍存在的条件下，对宇宙颗粒类似物（包括碳质和硅质尘埃颗粒）表面上复杂有机分子的形成进行系统的实验研究。一系列实验将集中在耐火碳表面与原子束的相互作用，原子束由H和O，N和H，以及N和O原子组成。将研究通过碳颗粒的贡献和侵蚀形成包括重要的氢-氧-和氮承载分子的益生元分子。该研究项目的第二部分将致力于CO和HCN在硅酸盐和碳颗粒表面的加氢反应。该项目的主要目标集中在更好地了解晶粒和分子的天体化学演化以及研究ISM中检测到的COM的天体化学起源。 此外，我们还想研究有利于尘埃颗粒上形成益生元分子（如氨基酸或糖分子前体）的环境条件。研究结果将为星际介质不同区域生物分子的合成提供重要信息。

The re-submitted research project will deal with the formation of important organic as well as prebiotic molecules that could serve as precursor materials for the formation of more complex biological building blocks of life on Earth or exoplanets. The generation of prebiotic molecules in the interstellar medium and protoplanetary disks and their final delivery and accumulation to planets by comets and meteorites represents an interesting scenario for the evolution of complex organics by astrochemical processes. Amino acids and sugar molecules can be considered as important biological-relevant molecules, because they are the building blocks of proteins and nucleosides, respectively. Precursors of amino acids and sugar molecules have been identified in different astrophysical environments. Glycine, the simplest amino acid, has been detected in comets and meteorites. This research proposal is devoted to systematic experimental studies on the formation of complex organic molecules on the surface of cosmic grain analogs including carbonaceous and siliceous dust grains at conditions prevailing in the ISM. A series of experiments will focus on the interaction of refractory carbon surfaces with atomic beams consisting of H and O, N and H, as well as N and O atoms. The formation of prebiotic molecules including important hydrogen- oxygen- and nitrogen-bearing molecules by the contribution and erosion of carbon grains will be studied. The second part of the research project will be dedicated to the hydrogenation reactions of CO and HCN on the surface of silicates and carbon particles. The main goals of the project concentrate on a better understanding of the astrochemical evolution of grains and molecules and the study of the astrochemical origins of COMs detected in the ISM. In addition, we want to investigate the environmental conditions that favor the formation of prebiotic molecules such as amino acids or precursors of sugar molecules on dust grains. The results will provide important information on the synthesis of biomolecules in different areas of the interstellar medium.