Recipient organisationCardiff UniversitySource-published name: Cardiff University
Funding£454K
PeriodJun 2025 — Jun 2028
In plain English
AI plain-English summary
Astronomers are rewriting the chemical models that turn faint molecular signals into maps of star-forming gas and the raw ingredients for life. The problem is that current models fail to capture how harsh, varying environments in space alter the chemistry of molecules—and therefore the light they emit. This undermines everything from estimates of how much gas is available to form stars to the tracking of complex organic molecules, the precursors to life, as they travel from galaxies to planets. This team has built computer simulations that model the cold interstellar gas in detail, then calculate how that gas emits light. They are the only group worldwide with this capability. If successful, their work will sharpen our understanding of how stars form and reveal which cosmic environments can produce the organic molecules needed for life. All modelling tools and results will be made publicly available, letting other astronomers re-interpret decades of observations. This is fundamental science. It will not directly change a product or service tomorrow. But better models of star formation and prebiotic chemistry are the kind of foundational knowledge that, in the past, has seeded everything from satellite navigation to medical imaging.
View original technical description
Molecular emission lines are a fundamental tool in modern astronomy, whether it be tracing the dense reservoirs of star-forming gas in distant galaxies, working out the dynamical state of nearby molecular clouds, or following the feedstock for life through its cosmic journey from galaxy to planet. With different molecules being able to trace different densities, temperatures, and radiative environments, astronomers have been able to select molecules for the task at hand. With assumptions about how these molecules emit, we can use them not only to piece together how much mass at different densities is available to form stars, but also capture the dynamics of the star formation process, which help us distinguish between the competing theoretic models. Other molecules, known as the complex organics, are thought to be the precursor for life, and so by observing these molecules, we can see at what point in the in the whole star/planet formation process does the feedstock for life become important. However, the light we observe from these molecules strongly depends on the chemistry of the gas, which in turn depends on the complex environment that the gas is exposed to. There is growing observational evidence that our chemical modelling to date has not done a sufficiently good job of characterising the regimes in which these molecules can exist, which has profound implications for how they emit, and thus for the science that we do with them. To overcome this important problem, we will employ state-of-the-art computer simulations that model the gas in the cold ISM, capturing the detailed chemistry of the gas, and then use the properties of the chemistry and clouds to model the light that is emitted. Being the only group in the world with such a powerful modelling capability, we will be able to revolutionise our understanding of how star formation tracers behave under different environments, and use this information to reassess what we know about this fundament process. We will also be able to chart the formation and evolution of complex organic molecules – whose origins are currently poorly understood – to help discover the range of environments that would be suitable for harbouring life. To ensure that our work can reach as many astronomers as possible, all our modelling results and tools will be made publicly available.
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