Molecular Astrophysics: State of the Art and Future Directions

Front Matter....Pages i-xxiii
Front Matter....Pages 1-1
Molecular Astrophysics....Pages 3-22
Chemical Composition and Molecular Abundances of Molecular Clouds....Pages 23-43
Radio Observations of Interstellar Molecules, of their behaviour, and of their physics....Pages 45-175
Sub-Millimeter Astronomy and Astrophysics....Pages 177-199
Infrared Spectroscopy of Interstellar Molecules....Pages 201-213
Visible and Ultraviolet Studies of Interstellar Molecules....Pages 215-236
The Production of Complex Molecules in Dense Interstellar Clouds....Pages 237-254
Chemical Reactions in Diffuse Clouds and the Chemistry of Isotope Fractionation in the Interstellar Gas....Pages 255-280
The Chemistry of Shocked Regions of the Interstellar Gas....Pages 281-293
Theoretical Models of Shock Waves in Molecular Clouds....Pages 295-310
Cometary Comae....Pages 311-330
Molecular Spectra of the Outer Planets and Satellites....Pages 331-349
Front Matter....Pages 351-351
Molecular Ions in Astrophysics and in the Laboratory....Pages 353-374
Millimeter and Submillimeter Wave Spectroscopy in the Laboratory and in the Interstellar Medium....Pages 375-402
Studies of Astrophysically Important Molecular Ions with Ultrasensitive Infrared Laser Techniques....Pages 403-419
Time Resolved Properties of Small Astrophysical Molecules....Pages 421-432
Rotational Excitation in Molecular Beam Experiments....Pages 433-451
Ion-Molecule Reactions at Low Temperatures....Pages 453-469
Ion Molecule Reactions in Interstellar Molecular Clouds....Pages 471-490
Theoretical Predictions of the Infrared and Microwave Spectra of Small Molecules....Pages 491-496
Front Matter....Pages 351-351
Recent Theoretical Results of Rotational-Translational Energy Transfer....Pages 497-516
Rotational and Vibrational Energy Transfer in Diatomic and Polyatomic Molecules....Pages 517-532
Calculation of Radiative Lifetimes of Allowed and Forbidden Transitions....Pages 533-549
Molecular Photoionization Processes of Astrophysical and Aeronomical Interest....Pages 551-573
Dissociative Recombination of Interstellar Ions: Electronic Structure Calculations for HCO + ....Pages 575-588
Front Matter....Pages 589-589
Detection of Interstellar Rotationally-Excited CH....Pages 591-601
Interstellar Clouds: From A Dynamical Perspective on Their Chemistry....Pages 603-612
Models of Galactic Molecular Sources....Pages 613-619
Millimeter wave spectroscopy of transient species in RF and DC discharges....Pages 621-623
Photofragment Spectroscopy Of Interstellar Molecules....Pages 625-629
Measurements Of Ion-Molecule Reaction Rate Coefficients Between 8 and 160 K by the Cresu Technique....Pages 631-638
Measurements Of Ion-Molecule Reaction Rate Coefficients with an Ion Drift-Tube Method at Temperatures from 18 to 420 K....Pages 639-647
Laboratory Studies of Ion Reactions with Atomic Hydrogen....Pages 649-655
Dissociative Recombination of H 3 + , HCO + , N 2 H + and CH 5 + ....Pages 657-659
Molecular Dissociation Functions Obtained from Thermodynamic and Spectroscopic Data....Pages 661-672
A Theoretical Study Of H 2 O Masers....Pages 673-680
The Excitation Of Interstellar C 2 ....Pages 681-682
Photodissociation Processes in the OH and HCl Molecules....Pages 683-686
Low Temperature Rosseland Mean Opacities for Zero-Metal Gas Mixtures....Pages 687-693
Front Matter....Pages 695-695
A High Sensitivity Spectral Survey of Orion A in the 1.3mm Region....Pages 697-698
Front Matter....Pages 695-695
The Importance of Neutral-Neutral Reactions in the Chemistry of CN in Diffuse Clouds....Pages 699-699
Long Chain Molecules in Interstellar Clouds....Pages 700-700
Desorption of Molecules from Interstellar Grains....Pages 701-701
Molecular Mantles on Interstellar Grains....Pages 702-702
Electron Capture by Multiple Charged Ions; Population of Excited States....Pages 703-703
Photoabsorption and Photodissociation of CO in the 900–1200 Å Region....Pages 704-705
Photodissociation Of H 2 O in the First Absorption Band in the VUV as the Pumpmechanism of the Astronomical OH-Maser....Pages 706-708
Laser Spectroscopy on Small Molecules of Astrophysical Interest in the VUV....Pages 709-710
Experimental Measurements of the Branching Ratio for Dissociative Recombination Processes....Pages 711-711
Astrophysically Important Charge Transfer Reactions, Recent Theoretical Results....Pages 712-713
Potential Surface of C 2 -H 2 ....Pages 714-714
Theoretical Predictions of Atomic and Molecular Properties for the Construction of Empirical Scattering Potentials....Pages 715-716
Rovibrational Excitation of 12 C 16 O by H 2 ....Pages 717-717
Back Matter....Pages 719-744