Interstellar Molecule Laboratory Spectroscopy and Synthesis – IMOLABS

Our team will be using a complete set of methods and techniques to work on the search for new interstellar species :
Organic synthesis, molecular spectroscopy, Heterodyne detection, THz sources, radioastronomy, astrophysics models.
The team gathers well known experts in astrophysics, microwave instrumentation, molecular spectroscopy and synthesis who will share their knowledge.

Several synthesis have been obtained, enabling the recording of their
microwave and submillimeter spectra. The list of species includes
ethanimine CH3CH=NH, l hydroxyacetonitrile (HOCH2CN), laminomalononitrile (NCCH(NH2)CN),1 3-butynal (MeC?CCHO), methyl isocyanate (CH3-NCO), and methyl cyanate (CH3OCN), ….

The new spectrometer with a fast frequency sweep is operating in PhLAM.

The molecular ions NO+ and NCCNH+ have been detected in space by J. Cernicharo and coworkers.
The rotation/tunelling transitions of the CH2OH radical have been measured in the PhLAM laboratory, opening the possibility of
a search for this radical in astrophysical sources.

The new step of the experimental developments is the coupling of the heterodyne detection with the new system. This will start with the arrival of the PhD student in Lille in January 2016.
We will search for the CH2OH radical in the ISM and investigate its formation and destruction pathways in parallel

1. Motiyenko, R.A., Margulès, L., Alekseev, E.A., Guillemin, J.-C. High-resolution millimeter wave spectroscopy and Ab initio calculations of aminomalononitrile (2015) Journal of Physical Chemistry A, 119 (6), pp. 1048-1054. DOI: 10.1021/jp512625s
2. Cernicharo et al. : ApJ (2014) 795:40 : Tentative Detection of the Nitrosylium Ion in Space (doi:10.1088/0004-637X/795/1/40)
3. C. Cabezas, C. Barrientos, A. Largo, J.-C. Guillemin, J. Cernicharo, I. Peña, J. Alonso Generation and structural characterization of aluminum cyanoacetylide J. Chem. Phys. 141, 104305 (2014).
4. L. Margulès, A. Belloche, H.S.P. Müller, et al. « Spectroscopic study and astronomical detection of doubly C-13-substituted ethyl cyanide«. A&A, 590, A93 (2016)
5. L. Margulès, M.A. Martin-Drumel, O. Pirali et al. « Terahertz spectroscopy of the (NH2)-N-15 amidogen radical«. A&A, 591, A110 (2016)
6. L. Margulès, B.A. Mc Guire, M.L. Senent, R.A. Motiyenko, A. Remijan, and J.C. Guillemin. « Sub-millimeter spectra of 2-hydroxyacetonitrile (glycolonitrile; HOCH2CN) and its searches in GBT PRIMOS observations of Sgr B2(N)«. A&A, accepted
7. J. Cernicharo, Z. Kisiel, B. Tercero, L. Kolesniková, I.R. Medvedev, A. López, S. Fortman, M. Winnewisser, F. C. de Lucia, J. L. Alonso, and J.-C. Guillemin A rigorous detection of interstellar CH3NCO: an important missing species in astrochemical networks A&A, 2016, 587, L4.
8. M. M. Montero-Campillo, O. Mó , M. Yáñez, A. Benidar, C. Rouxel, N. Kerisit, Y. Trolez, J.-C. Guillemin. Gas-Phase Infrared Spectroscopy of Substituted Cyanobutadiynes: Roles of the Bromine Atom and Methyl Group as Substituents. ChemPhysChem, 2016, 17(7), 1018-1024.
9. C. Bermudez, S. Bailleux, J. Cernicharo, Laboratory detection of the rotational-tunelling spectrum of the hydroxymethyl radical CH2OH, A&A, 2016, in press

We are entering a golden age for astrochemistry, with the simultaneous increase in detector sensitivity, band pass and telescope collecting area. The analysis of astronomical spectra, and the detection of new interstellar species is nevertheless hampered by the lack of knowledge molecular spectroscopy, both for stable species and for ions and radicals. Despite the hostile environment conditions, the interstellar and circumstellar chemistry is remarkably rich, with many species, their isomers and isotopologues (notably those where a D atom is substituted for an H). Another issue is the lack of understanding of the chemical formation pathways to interstellar molecules, leading to a low efficiency in the search for new species. This interdisciplinary project aims at improving both points by developing jointly : i) new techniques for more sensitive molecular spectroscopy based on instrumental developments in the THz domain, ii) new production techniques for possible interstellar molecules, iii) new observation and modeling programs. The team gathers well known experts in astrophysics, microwave instrumentation, molecular spectroscopy and organic synthesis who will share their knowledge.