This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).
Under this award Drs. Lucy Ziurys and DeWayne Halfen (University of Arizona) will continue their investigation of the chemistry of the refractory elements through the ongoing joint laboratory/observational program. The laboratory investigations will focus on new metal oxide, carbide, nitride, and cyanide species such as KO, AlO+, HMgNC, and MgC. The Ziurys group has already recorded spectra of numerous oxides, carbides, and cyanide species, and this new work will be an extension of well-understood techniques. In addition, the laboratory studies will be expanded to include possible new phosphorus-bearing species. A new phosphorus source has been developed in the Ziurys group for this purpose, which has already been successfully employed. Molecules of interest include C3P, PCO, PNH+, NiP, and FeP. The latter two species are likely precursors to schreibersite, [Fe,Ni]3P, the proposed solid-state carrier of circumstellar phosphorus. The proposed observations will entail searching for these possible new species in circumstellar and, in certain cases (i.e., for PNH+), interstellar gas via their pure rotational spectra. Measurements of both ions and neutrals are essential in identifying the major carriers of the refractory elements in dense material, and will aid in establishing chemical formation mechanisms. These studies will also help draw the connection between gas-phase molecules and dust grains, and allow for a more quantitative evaluation of elemental depletions. The target source list will include asymptotic giant branch and supergiant envelopes (both oxygen- and carbon-rich), planetary nebulae, and select molecular clouds.
This research is highly interdisciplinary and will involve the interplay of observational and experimental methods. The bulk of the research will be carried out by graduate and undergraduate students, the majority of which are female, who will receive a very unique education with diverse skills, enabling them to better contribute as scientists to society. Dr. Ziurys is actively involved in the development of interdisciplinary courses and a website for basic molecular spectroscopy. The development of highly sensitive gas-phase laboratory spectrometers is also relevant to defense and homeland security, particularly in the terahertz frequency regime.
