Elizabeth Spreadbury Lecture 2025
The Molecular Universe
Prof. Serena Viti
Leiden Observatory, Leiden University and University of Bonn
3.30 pm on Wednesday March 26th 2025
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Molecules pervade the cooler, denser parts of our Universe, in particular the reservoirs of the matter that forms stars and planets, and the gas in the centres of galaxies. In fact, observations across the Universe reveal a surprisingly large number of molecules and show how complex chemistry in space can become, despite the harsh environment of the interstellar medium. Molecules not only play a key role in the formation and the shaping of galaxies, but they are also great tools to trace their physical characteristics. In the Milky Way we routinely use molecules to discover and explore the dense star forming gas and the more complex the chemistry, the more details of the gas the molecules reveal. In this talk I will present an overview of molecular astrophysics within the context of the formation and evolution of stars and galaxies. I will show how molecular emission can be used to explore and characterize the physical conditions and energetics, as well as, possibly, the evolutionary status of the interstellar medium.Finally, through an observational and theoretical tour of recent advances in the field, I will show how to make molecules into one of the most powerful diagnostics of the formation and evolution of stars and galaxies. |
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This year's Spreadbury Lecture (the 34th) will be
given by Prof. Serena Viti
from Leiden and Bonn universities
The lecture will take place in the Harrie Massey Lecture Theatre at 3.30pm on Wednesday March 26th 2025. All are welcome and the lecture will be at a level accessible to undergraduates studying either physics or astrophysics. Following the lecture, refreshments will be served in E3/E7 in the Department of Physics and Astronomy and anyone attending the lecture is most welcome. |