" There's life Jim....but we don't KNOW it (yet): a journey through the chemically controlled cosmos from star birth to the formation of life" 30 th May 2007, Stockholm Observatory with support from the 'kvinnliga gästföreläsare' programme Dr Helen Fraser

Stockholm Astrobio seminar Dr Helen J Fraser 2 Planet Formation Formation of life Refuelling the Interstellar medium. Star Death Star Formation Cycle (in our galaxy) Credit: FORS team 8.2 m VLT ANTU, ESO Back to cold dark space…. Star Formation YSO’s Collapsing cores Pre-stellar cores ISM = 99% by mass GAS (H / H 2 / He) & 1 % DUST (Si / C + Mg, Fe, Al, Na, K)

Stockholm Astrobio seminar Dr Helen J Fraser 3 The Electromagnetic Spectrum RADIO  - wave IRUV X-RAYS /  -RAYS  -RAYS frequency In each part of the electromagnetic spectrum we ‘see’ objects differently

Stockholm Astrobio seminar Dr Helen J Fraser 4 Molecular Motion Study of how molecules absorb and emit EM radiation (like light) called SPECTROSCOPY RADIO  - wave IRUV X-RAYS /  -RAYS  -RAYS frequency Electron & nuclear motion Molecular rotation Molecular vibration Change energy of the valence electrons Knock electrons out of the atom Knock neutrons / protons out nucleii

Stockholm Astrobio seminar Dr Helen J Fraser 5 An INFRARED WATER SPECTRUM

Stockholm Astrobio seminar Dr Helen J Fraser 6 Background star Embedded object Akari // Spitzer

Stockholm Astrobio seminar Dr Helen J Fraser 7 Complex molecules such as amino acids (the building blocks of life), have also been found in space glycine in Orion! Credit: C.R. O'Dell/Rice University, NASA. Credit: Y,-J. Kuan, S.B. Charnley, H.-C. Huang, W.-L. Tseng, Z. Kisiel, Astrophys J. 593, 848 (2003) Credit: Y,-J. Kuan, S.B. Charnley, H.-C. Huang, W.-L. Tseng, Z. Kisiel, Astrophys J. 593, 848 (2003) Radio = large molecules Permanent dipoles

Stockholm Astrobio seminar Dr Helen J Fraser 8 H2OH2O CH 3 OH CO 2 13 CO 2 OCN CO OCS CH 4 silicate C—H (aro./ali.) H2OH2O HCOOH CO 2 W33A – high mass protostar ATYPICAL of SFRs E.L. Gibb et al., ApJ 536, 347 (2000) N.B. ICE = any volatile gas Condensing into solid < 273 K

Stockholm Astrobio seminar Dr Helen J Fraser 9 Non-“metals” “metals” N.B. size of ‘box’ represents the COSMIC ABUNDANCE of each element Astronomers.. (even cosmologists!!) use absorption AND emission spectra of atoms and molecules to PROBE or TRACE astronomical objects, and say something about the astrophysics….. Astrochemists ask.. How are interstellar molecules made? What is their role in different astrophysical environments? Astrobiologists ask… Whether there is life elsewhere in our universe… (by concentrating (right now) on finding suitable habitable zones, exoplanets, prebiotic molecules & using solar system as lab)

Stockholm Astrobio seminar Dr Helen J Fraser 10 OUTFLOWS & DYNAMICS Gas Phase Abundance Plots Tracer of Gas T /  // physical processes Correlations between parent & daughter molecules Indicator of chemical reactions

Stockholm Astrobio seminar Dr Helen J Fraser 11 How does CHEMISTRY happen?

Stockholm Astrobio seminar Dr Helen J Fraser 12 THERMODYMANICS we need enough energy for the reactants to form products KINETICS We have many millions of years in space but we need the reactions to occur within the lifetime of the astronomical object

Stockholm Astrobio seminar Dr Helen J Fraser 13 T too low to overcome activation energy barrier ‘No barrier chemistry’ Molecular density so low that 3 body collisions are rare (10 6 (max) vs molecules cm -3 ) –‘all’ collisions should be effective collisions!! ++ + reactants products Energy EaEa T = K 

Stockholm Astrobio seminar Dr Helen J Fraser H 2 AlF AlCl C 2 CH CH + CN CO CO + CP CSi HCl KCl NH NO NS NaCl OH PN SO SO + SiN SiO C 3 C 2 H C 2 O C 2 S CH 2 HCN HCO HCO + HCS + HOC + H 2 O H 2 S HNC HNO MgCN MgNC N 2 H + N 2 O NaCN OCS SO 2 c-SiC 2 CO 2 c-C 3 H l-C 3 H C 3 N C 3 O C 3 S C 2 H 2 CH 2 D + HCCN HCNH + HNCO HNCS HOCO + H 2 CO H 2 CN H 2 CS H 3 O + NH 3 SiC 3 C 5 C 4 H C 4 Si l-C 3 H 2 c-C 3 H 2 CH 2 CN CH 4 HC 3 N HC 2 NC HCOOH H 2 CHN H 2 C 2 O H 2 NCN HNC 3 SiH 4 H 2 COH + C 5 H l-H 2 C 4 C 2 H 4 CH 3 CN CH 3 NC CH 3 OH CH 3 SH HC 3 NH + HC 2 CHO NH 2 CHO C 5 N C 6 H CH 2 CHCN CH 3 C 2 H HC 5 N HCOCH 3 NH 2 CH 3 c-C 2 H 4 O CH 2 CHOH CH 3 C 3 N HCOOCH 3 CH 3 COOH C 7 H CH 2 OHCHO CH 3 C 4 H CH 3 CH 2 CN (CH 3 ) 2 O CH 3 CH 2 OH HC 7 N C 8 H CH 3 C 5 N (CH 3 ) 2 CO NH 2 CH 2 COO H? HC 9 N HC 11 N List of Detected Cosmic Molecules in Interstellar and Circumstellar Environments. Fraser et. al. A&G, 43, no. 2, 2.10 (2002)

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Stockholm Astrobio seminar Dr Helen J Fraser 16 Photon Dominated Regions Surface regions of dusty disks Cometary Ices Shocked regions (HH objects) Collapsing Dense Clouds Turbulent disks Everywhere! Dense Clouds Disk Plane Fraser, Collings & McCoustra, Rev. Sci. Inst. 73, no.5, 2161 (2002) Solid-State Chemistry of Star-Forming Regions bare grain surface e.g. H 2 H 2 O formation “ice” surface e.g. CO 2 CH 3 OH formation Chemistry in “ice” film e.g. OCN - formation

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Stockholm Astrobio seminar Dr Helen J Fraser 18 Key to large molecule formation = ICE & DUST

Stockholm Astrobio seminar Dr Helen J Fraser 19 Surface Science Surface Science paints a picture of gas- grain interactions on an atomic level How might surface reactions lead to complex molecules?

Stockholm Astrobio seminar Dr Helen J Fraser 20 Image Credit: A. Caulet(ST-ECF, ESA) and NASA Surface Science Astronomy Solid-State Astrochemistry Fraser, Collings & McCoustra, Rev. Sci. Inst. 73, no.5, 2161 (2002); Fraser & Van Dishoeck, ASR, 33, 14 (2004) IR-RAIRS cm e-e-e-e- h OH H O H2OH2O CO H 2 CO CH 3 OH substrate N probe surface species QMS probe gas  carbon or silicate based OH CO CO 2 CH 3 OH Cosmic Rays NH 3 H 2 CO H2H2 H H2OH2O 10 nm – 10  m e-e-e-e- h O N linear heating ramp TPD small grains P < – mbar (dominated by H 2 then CO) T grain = 10 – 300 K T gas = 10 – 1000 K 1 Lyman  / Lyman-Werner band UV photon per 10 6 years per grain 1 atom / molecule – grain collision per 10 4 years 1 X-Ray / CR ‘direct hit’ per 10 5 years 10 7 pre-stellar 10 7 star formation 10 6 – 10 7 planet formation …then we have a solar system To date = flat surfaces P < mbar (also dominated by H 2 then CO) T grain = 10 – 450 K T gas = K 1 Lyman  / Lyman-Werner band UV photon per molecule per second!! (  5 sec  1 L (Langmuir) dose = molec cm -2 s -1 1 X-Ray / CR ….  1 expt = 12 –48 hr

Stockholm Astrobio seminar Dr Helen J Fraser 21 From molecules to life…

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Stockholm Astrobio seminar Dr Helen J Fraser 23 These complex molecules are important for forming the molecules of Life… Cell Membranes LIFE Protocells Simple Molecules Complex Molecules & Polymers DNA The molecule of Life

Stockholm Astrobio seminar Dr Helen J Fraser 24 Asteroids Meteorites Dense Cloud Diffuse Medium Star and Planet Formation Stellar Death and Mass Ejection Exogenous Delivery Comets Volcanic Outgassing Hydrosphere Hydrothermal Vents Endogenous Synthesis PLANET Interplanetary Dust Particles So, do we make the building blocks of life in space… and then transport them to planets?

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