Interstellar Medium Astrophysics
Group Leader: Alvaro Hacar
Credit: ESO/H. Drass/ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO)/A. Hacar
Interstellar Medium Astrophysics
The Interstellar Medium (ISM) is the tenuous material (gas + dust) that exist in the space between stars within a galaxy. Using state-of-the-art, radio astronomical observations the Interstellar Medium Astrophysics group investigates the physical and chemical properties of the ISM as crucial ingredients to understand the origin of new stars and planets, the lifecycle of galaxies, and the physico-chemical evolution of the Cosmos.
Research focus
- Initial conditions for star formation: characterisation of the ISM structure (clouds, filaments and cores) leading to the formation of low- and high-mass stars across the Milky Way
- Structure and Evolution: physical and chemical descriptions of the ISM
- Astrochemistry: molecular content and emission properties of the cold ISM
- Radioastronomy: (sub-)mm line and continuum observations using single-dish and interferometric radio facilities (e.g. ALMA)