Fanciele Kruczkiewicz + Izaskun Jimenez-Serra
Izaskun's Paper: https://www.aanda.org/articles/aa/abs/2025/03/aa52389-24/aa52389-24.html
PDRs4All XIV: CH radical and H3+ molecular ion in the irradiated protoplanetary disk d203-506
Schroetter et al. arXiv
https://arxiv.org/abs/2506.05186
H3+ in irradiated protoplanetary disks: Linking far-ultraviolet radiation and hot water vapor
Goicoechea et al. arXiv
https://arxiv.org/abs/2506.05189
Interstellar Chemistry of CN Radicals on Ices: The formation of CH3CN and CH3NC and potential connection to acetamide
Enrique-Romero & Lamberts arXiv (A&A)
https://arxiv.org/abs/2506.08792
Gas-phase synthesis of anthracene and phenanthrene via radical-radical reaction induced ring expansions
Goettl et al. Science Advances
https://www.science.org/doi/full/10.1126/sciadv.adv0692
Discovery of propenethial (CH2CHCHS) in TMC-1
Cabezas et al. A&A
https://www.aanda.org/articles/aa/full_html/2025/06/aa54670-25/aa54670-25.html
Carbon and oxygen isotope evidence for a protoplanetary disk origin of organic solids in meteorites
Lawrence et al. PNAS
https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2423345122
First detection of HS2 in a cold dark cloud
Espluges et al. arXiv
https://arxiv.org/abs/2506.12974
Evidence for Phenylium Reactivity under Interstellar Relevant Conditions
Loison et al. arXiv
https://arxiv.org/abs/2506.13290
CO, CS, HCO, HCO+, C2H, and HCN in the diffuse interstellar medium
Liszt and Gerin arXiv (A&A)
https://arxiv.org/abs/2506.12518
BASIL: Fast broadband line-rich spectral-cube fitting and image visualization via Bayesian quadrature
Lin et al. arXiv (A&A)
https://arxiv.org/abs/2506.23269
Gabi Wenzel chats with Bernadette Broderick
Bernadette's website: https://brodericklab.org/
Berandette's Paper: https://arxiv.org/abs/2505.09888
Howe we get molecules off of ices and into the gas-phase: thermal and non-thermal desorption.
Upcoming Meetings
Abstract submission and registration are still open for the workshop Astrochemistry in the Broadband Era of the ngVLA and ALMA WSU held this October in Portland, Maine. Early-career researchers are especially encouraged to attend this focused meeting.
go.nrao.edu/broadband25
We’ll remind you of a two others on our radar, but their abstract submission has already closed. The 38th European Conference on Surface Science, focusing on the Surface Science of Astrochemical system is to be held August 24-29 in Braga, Portugal, and there’s a dedicated astrochemistry meeting at the PacificChem 2025 conference in December.
Job Opportunities
There’s a postdoc position in Ralf Kaiser’s group in the Department of Chemistry, University of Hawai'i at Manoa, in the area of gas phase reaction dynamics. The prime directive of the experimental gas phase studies is to investigate the formation of (precursors to) polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) exploiting molecular beams. The appointment period is initially for one year, but can be renewed annually for up to five years based on satisfactory progress as defined by first author publications.
Applications should be sent to Ralf directly; review begins July 1, so just before this episode drops, but will continue until the position is filled.
ralfk@hawaii.edu
There is a PhD position available in Ugo Jacovella’s group at CNRS in Paris. The experimental research involves ion mobility, mass spectrometry, and laser spectroscopy techniques applied to large carbon-rich molecular ions in the gas phase, in the context of astrochemistry and astrophysics. The starting date for the PhD position is between October 1st and December 1st, 2025, and interested parties should contact Ugo directly.
PhD position (funded by the Académie Spatiale d’Île-de-France) in laser spectroscopy applied to astrochemistry is available in the Jacovella group at the University of Paris-Saclay (France). The experimental research involves ion mobility, mass spectrometry, and laser spectroscopy techniques applied to large carbon-rich molecular ions in the gas phase, in the context of astrochemistry and astrophysics.
Available equipment includes pulsed dye lasers and OPO laser systems, cavity ring-down spectroscopy (CRDS) coupled to a discharge source mounted at the exit of a molecular beam, an ablation laser source, and a drift-tube mobility spectrometer. A cryo-ion trap coupled to a time-of-flight (TOF) mass spectrometer is currently under construction. One project may also involve the development of a SLIM-based ion mobility spectrometer (all equipment available). The group is also strongly involved in international collaborations with astronomers through various programs (PDR4ALL, EDIBLES, etc.), using different telescopes and facilities (JWST, VLT, OHP) and is a regular user of the SOLEIL synchrotron facility (France).
Qualified candidates should hold a Master's degree in Physics, Physical Chemistry, or a related field. The position is for 3 years, and the successful applicant may serve as a teaching assistant if interested.
For further information, please contact Ugo at: ugo.jacovella@cnrs.fr
Finally, there are two PhD positions with Izaskun Jimenez-Serra at the Center of Astrobiology in Madrid. The first is for a student working on an observational study on the chemical complexity of starless and pre-stellar cores using surveys from the IRAM 30m and Yebes 40m telescopes. The second is on laboratory experiments of the energetic processing of complex organic molecules on interstellar ices analogs. The student will study the survivability of complex organic molecules of prebiotic interest in laboratory-generated interstellar ice analogues. These ices will be exposed to intense energetic processing by UV photons and high-energy electrons simulating the effects of cosmic rays.
Motivation letters and CVs can be sent to Izaskun directly.
https://sites.google.com/view/ercopens/team/job-opportunities
Icarus Special Issue
There’s a special issue in the journal Icarus on “Carbon in Planetary Environments: Sources and Evolution.” The description reads:
Carbon is one of the most abundant elements, and its chemical form and evolution play a significant role in shaping planetary environments. For example, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are a significant interstellar carbon reservoir, and work to characterize the chemistry and life-cycle of such material is ongoing. The interplay between carbon and oxygen in accretionary environments controls redox state and has implications for the composition of condensates. Carbon is the basis for organic chemistry that is critical for life as we know it, and may also provide valuable biosignatures for detection (remote and in situ) of extraterrestrial life. In planetary bodies, the exchange of carbon between atmospheres and interiors controls planetary climate, whereas atmospheric gases such as CO2 and CO are important for planetary habitability and CH4 is a potential biosignature gas. The linkages between inherited and evolved forms of carbon in planetary systems are coming in to sharper focus as ALMA and JWST expand our view of the cosmos, and sample return missions such as OSIRIS-REx, Hayabusa2, and Martian Moons Explorer (MMX) enable groundbreaking laboratory analysis of carbonaceous materials. At the same time, space exploration missions such as Europa Clipper, JUICE, and Dragonfly are rapidly expanding the boundaries of our knowledge, as preparations for future missions such as the Habitable Worlds Observatory continue. This Special Issue presents new research from laboratory experiments, modeling work, data analysis, and other scientific techniques on carbon in planetary systems and beyond, including astronomical sources.
Submissions will be due by Nov 30, 2025.