Untitled - Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de l'Observatoire de Grenoble

Chapter 2
Presentation and Scientific Objectives
2.1 Presentation of Astromol: composition, goals and summary of
activities
The Astromol team was created in January 2003, with the new organization of the LAOG structure. It results
from the merging of the group working on Theoretical Molecular Physics with the group working on Star
Formation (born from the previous group
on the Interstellar and Circumstellar Medium). Both groups are mostly newly formed, by accretion from
different observatories and laboratories as well as by members originally from LAOG. Table 2.1 lists the staff
members of Astromol: nine researchers, three of whom are teachers at UJF, one is Astronome at UJF, and five
are CNRS/CEA researchers.
Name Grade Specialty
J-J. Benayoun Professor UJF Astrophysical models
C. Ceccarelli Astronome Astrophysical obs and models
F-X. Desert a Astronome Astrophysical obs
A. Faure CR2 Molecular Physics
C. Kahane Professor UJF Astrophysical obs
B. Lefloch CR1 Astrophysical obs and models
T. Montmerle DR1 Astrophysical obs and models
C. Rist Maitre de Conf. Molecular Physics
P. Valiron DR2 Molecular Physics
L. Wiesenfeld CR1 Molecular Physics
Table 2.1: List of the permanent staff members belonging to the Astromol team and their respective expertise.
a Note that Desert joined Astromol team during 2005: his activity is described in §4.5.
The goal of the Astromol team is the study of the physical and chemical proprieties of the inter-stellar and
pre-stellar matter, by a tight coupling between the theoretical and observational approaches. One major goal
for Astromol is the study of the chemical and physical evolution of solar type stars in the first phases of their
formation: from the first steps leading to the gravitational collapse -Pre-Stellar Cores- to the proto-planetary
disk phase.
To achieve our goal:
• we carry out observations at the large radio to sub-millimeter ground based telescopes, as well as space
based telescopes in the FIR, NIR and X-rays wavelengths;
• we develop models to solve the line formation, radiative transfer and chemical composition problems;
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