Gas and dust in the interstellar medium

Abstract

The optical properties of dust: the effects of composition, size, and structure N. Ysard et al-Thermal desorption of ammonia from crystalline forsterite surfaces T. Suhasaria et al-Resonant transport and electrostatic effects in single-molecule electrical junctions Carly Brooke et al-This content was downloaded from IP address 85. Abstract. In this article I shall describe the gas and dust in the interstellar medium. I review the evidence for dust and describe its likely nature. Its many roles in the interstellar medium, especially its effect on interstellar chemistry in star-forming regions, are discussed. The nature of the molecular interstellar gas is described, and a brief account of the interstellar chemistry that produces these molecules is given. Several examples of the interaction between gas and dust in star forming regions are given to demonstrate the importance of these components of the Milky Way and other galaxies.