Search results for "Space observatory"
showing 2 items of 2 documents
Communication: Rotational excitation of interstellar heavy water by hydrogen molecules
2010
Cross sections and rate coefficients for low lying rotational transitions in D(2)O induced by para-H(2) collisions are presented for the first time. Calculations have been performed at the close-coupling level with the deuterated variant of the H(2)O-H(2) interaction potential of Valiron et al. [J. Chem. Phys. 129, 134306 (2008)]. Rate coefficients are presented for temperatures between 1 and 30 K and are compared to the corresponding rate coefficients for H(2)O. Significant differences caused by the isotopic substitution are observed and are attributed to both kinematics and intramolecular geometry effects. Astrophysical implications are briefly discussed in view of the very recent detecti…
Analyzing observations of molecules in the ISM: Theoretical and experimental studies of energy transfer
2012
Our laboratories have recently calculated a set of collision coefficients characterizing the efficiency of energy transfer between helium and/or hydrogen and a large variety of interstellar molecules. We have considered with molecules ranging from light hydrides, observed by the Herschel Space Observatory, to medium size molecules, observed by mm antennas, to heavy complex organic molecules, observed also in the cm range. We present a review of recent theoretical results obtained in our laboratories, for various kinds of commonly observed molecules.