Combined Gas-Ice Mapping on 1000 AU Scales of Star-Forming and Pre-Stellar Cores

Abstract

The connection between the gas and solid phases of chemistry in the interstellar matter relies largely on theoretical study and laboratory experiments, with obser- vations of interstellar ices being relatively sparse. With space telescopes such as the Japanese AKARI infrared observatory, we have been able to gather unprecedented volumes of solid-state spectroscopic information towards 27 molecular clouds and star-forming regions. This first year PhD report gives an introduction to the topic of ice mapping and the software suite I have been using. As it currently stands, the capabilities of the Akari Reduction Facility (ARF) cover the extraction of near-IR spectra from the cold-phase grism-dispersed images in the 1′ × 1′ field of view. My objective is to expand this capacity to cover also prism-dispersed images from the warm phase of the AKARI mission, with mid-IR coverage in the full 10′×10′ field of view. I have also modified the spectrum-fitting software to be able to do concurrent fitting of grain-shape corrected laboratory spectra and analytical models to both the CO peak and OH stretch regions of the extracted AKARI optical depth spectra. With this capacity I have been able to add laboratory spectra created at Leiden Observatory to our fitting models, with initial results showing marked increases in the fit quality. Future objectives and challenges of this project will be discussed in the final chapter.