Molecular Data Needs for Modelling AGB Stellar Winds and Other Molecular Environments

The modern era of highly sensitive telescopes is enabling the detection of more and more molecular species in various astronomical environments. Many of these are now being carefully examined for the first time. However, to move beyond detection to more detailed analysis such as radiative transfer m...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Taïssa Danilovich, Leen Decin, Marie Van de Sande
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2018-08-01
Series:Galaxies
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.mdpi.com/2075-4434/6/3/86
Description
Summary:The modern era of highly sensitive telescopes is enabling the detection of more and more molecular species in various astronomical environments. Many of these are now being carefully examined for the first time. However, to move beyond detection to more detailed analysis such as radiative transfer modelling, certain molecular properties need to be properly measured and calculated. The importance of contributions from vibrationally excited states or collisional (de-)excitations can vary greatly, depending on the specific molecule and the environment being studied. Here, we discuss the present molecular data needs for detailed radiative transfer modelling of observations of molecular rotational transitions, primarily in the (sub-)millimetre and adjacent regimes, and with a focus on the stellar winds of AGB stars.
ISSN:2075-4434