Revealing the Chemistry of Comets at Radio/sub-mm Wavelengths

Martin Cordiner, NASA Goddard

Host: Dodson

Abstract: Comets are astrochemical fossils of our Solar System, containing frozen remnants from the epoch of planet formation. As they heat up during brief passages through the inner Solar System, remote and in situ measurements of their sublimated atmospheres (comae), reveal the composition of the protosolar accretion disk at the epoch of planet formation, 4.5 billion years ago. Observations of the newly discovered class of interstellar objects allows us, for the first time, to directly measure (and test theories for) the chemistry of planet formation around other stars in the Galaxy. Thus, comets bring to our celestial doorstep a unique and powerful opportunity to better understand our astrochemical origins, as well as to test our knowledge of low-temperature, solid-state and gas-phase chemistry. In this seminar, I will review ground-based spectroscopic observations of comets at radio and sub-mm wavelengths, and present some highlights of my recent research in this area, focusing on the composition of interstellar object 2I/Borisov and the chemically peculiar comet R2/PanSTARRS.

Physical Chemistry Seminar Series