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| SPAT0054-1 | Astrophysics and astrochemistry
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| Duration : | 15h Th, 5h Pr |
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| Credits/ECTS : |
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| Holder(s) : | Michaël De Becker |
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| Language : | French language |
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| Course contents : | Progress made in the last past years allowed us to clarify our vision of interstellar and circumstellar chemistry. To date, the number of firmly identified molecules in the interstellar medium is about 150, thanks to the development of observational instrumentation. Significant progress is expected in this field in the forthcoming years thanks to the advent of large observatories such as ALMA. The processes responsible for the formation of these chemical species, along with their potential filiation, are the subject of many studies at the heart of modern science.
This course is mainly built in two parts:
1. The first aspect introduces several concepts frequently used in astrophysics, and presents various astronomical environments following a rather descriptive approach. This could be considered as a short introduction to astrophysics, in the purpose to understand the specificities of astrochemistry.
2. The second aspect aims at providing an insight into modern astrochemical studies, insisting on the impact of the astrophysical environment on the processes responsible for the formation and/or destruction of molecules. The issue the existence of more complex molecules and of potentially prebiotic molecules is discussed. |
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| Course objective : | This course aims at providing the students with an introductory and general view of processes and phenomena located at the interface between astrophysics and chemistry. The main objective is to introduce the students of the Master in Chemistry to the basics required to access to the specialized literature in astrochemistry. This introduction is therefore expected to provide the students with the necessary autonomy to improve their knowledge of this field by themselves, either for research or personal interest purpose.
This course constitutes also a good opportunity to realize that the domain of application of chemistry is not limited to laboratories, to living cells or to the terrestrial ecosystem, but extends far beyond the limites of our planet. |
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| Prerequisites : | No particular prerequisite. |
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| Workshops : | No practical exercices. |
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| Organization : | The course is organized in theoretical lectures (15 hours in total), complemented by exercices (5 hours in total) illustrating some aspects of the course content. |
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| Written notes : | Lecture notes written in english including the main content of the course will be provided to the students. These lecture notes refer to a detailed bibliography that is adapted to the objectives of the course. |
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| Assessment : | An oral examination will be organized at the end of the year. |
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| Contacts : | Michaël De Becker
Phone: 04/3669717
E-mail: debecker@astro.ulg.ac.be
Office: Institut d'Astrophysique et Géophysique, Building. B5c, 2nd floor, office 2/17 |
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| Remarks : | The main part of the course consists in a theoretical description of various aspects of astrochemistry, spiced with examples found in specialized litterature. Nevertheless, a few practical applications are also presented accross the course in order to illustrate some notions and principles taken from chemistry and likely to be usefull in the context of astrochemistry. |
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