Letters of Intent received in 2015

LoI 2017-268
Astrochemistry VII – Through the Cosmos from Galaxies to Planets

Topics

1) Astrochemistry at high redshifts
a) the early Universe
b) high redshift galaxies
2) Astrochemistry in extreme regimes
a) AGN and starburst galaxies
b) Metal-poor galaxies
c) PDRs and XDRs
3) Interstellar Dust
a) evolved stars and SN
b) the gas-grain interaction
4) Molecular clouds in the MW and other galaxies
a) formation of molecular clouds
b) role in star formation (low and high mass)
5) Protoplanetary disks
a) probing star and planet formation
b) The IS-Solar System/Exoplanet connection
6) Exoplanets and planetary system objects
a) exoplanet atmospheres – theory and observation
b) Solar System astrochemistry
7) The role of observing facilities in agenda setting, e.g.
a) Herschel b) Rosetta c) ALMA d) SOFIA e) JWST f) MeerKAT
8) Laboratory Astrophysics – its foundational relationship with astrochemistry
9) Hot topics

Rationale

The study of molecular absorption and emission is now a key technique in modern astrophysics, particularly through its ability to probe physical environments otherwise hidden from view. In the past 30 years, there have been six IAU Symposia devoted to Astrochemistry, from the first held in 1985 in Goa, India (IAU 120) to the last held in Toledo, Spain in 2011 (IAU 280). This conference attracted around 440 participants from 31 countries – and had a long (> 100 individuals) waiting list.

Since the Toledo symposium, our view of the molecular universe continues to expand with exciting new and unexpected results from facilities such as Herschel, ALMA, NOEMA, Rosetta and SOFIA challenging our understanding of topics such as diffuse gas, star and planet formation, and the solar system-interstellar medium connection. Herschel, for example, has been used to detect a number of neutral and ionized hydrides. These molecules have been found to be unique tools to probe diffuse interstellar gas helping to constrain parameters such as the electron fraction, cosmic-ray ionization rate, and the presence of CO-dark gas. ALMA is now widely used to study molecular complexity at high spatial resolution in objects as diverse as solar system planetary atmospheres and high-redshift galaxies, to probe the epoch of planet formation in protoplanetary disks, and to study the coldest and most depleted gas (at least in CO) in cold dark cloud cores. The Rosetta mission, meanwhile, has detected a range of complex organic molecules in comet 67P/C-G. Future facilities such as the JWST and SKA will continue to push back boundaries.

It is therefore timely to hold the next IAU Symposium on Astrochemistry in 2017. In recognition of the importance of ALMA to our subject, we propose to hold the next meeting in Chile and will seek to incorporate some aspect of training in ALMA either just before or just after the Symposium. By this time there will be several cycles of ALMA data flowing through our community. This conference can be a showcase for these ground breaking results to pair with greater understanding of the Rosetta results, along with mining the legacies of Herschel/Spitzer, new data from SOFIA, etc.

Advances in Astrochemistry are not solely the domain of the observational astronomer, but rely heavily on the skills and expertise provided by the wider chemistry and physics communities whether through detector development, spectroscopy, or studies of gas-phase and grain surface processes. Thus, a central aim of the Symposium will be to continue our engagement with this wider community and to ensure their effective integration, an integration that we will also ensure in the SOC.

We have identified a number of themes that can be contained in a programme held over 5 days, that is a morning or afternoon session on each, one of which will be on ‘hot topics’. Under each theme we shall review the field, presenting recent results, identify the challenges and seek to identify ways in which the field may advance including contributions that can be made by observational scientists, theoretical and laboratory approaches. We will include speakers from the wider community to help aid integration and, in line with IAU guidance, will ensure a gender and geographic balance, as well as between junior and senior scientists, among our invited speakers.