MOLECULAR UNIVERSE

Expertise in Research and Complementarity
The Toulouse team is strongly involved in the study of the physics and chemistry of interstellar matter: gas, dust and their interaction. The team provides an instrumental contribution to ESA space projects (LWS spectrometer on board the Infrared Space Observatory, HIFI high resolution spectrometer on board Herschel). The team has also developed an original experimental set-up, PIRENEA for the study of the photophysics and chemistry of large molecules such as Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in physical conditions approaching those of interstellar space. Dr C. Joblin (CJ) has wide experience in the study of interstellar PAHs using a multidisciplinary approach that combines observations and laboratory experiments. During her doctorate and postdoctorate, she worked with the two international leading groups in the field (A. Léger, L. Allamandola). She has since 1995 a CNRS position in Toulouse where she has developed the PIRENEA experiment. Dr E. Caux (EC), CNRS researcher at the CESR for 15 years, has been strongly involved in the spectroscopy of interstellar gas from ground or space-based observations. He was a Co-I of the ISO Long Wavelength Spectrometer. He is presently the French Co-PI of the Herschel HIFI instrument and scientific leader of the HIFI High Resolution Spectrometer (HRS). Pr A. Walters (AW) is a spectroscopist and Professor at the University Paul Sabatier in Toulouse. He recently joined the team to lead the CASSIS project to develop tools for the scientific analysis of complex spectra measured at very high resolution in the far-infrared and sub-millimetre spectral ranges.
Expertise in Training and Knowledge Transfer
The team in Toulouse contains a large interdisciplinary component both in its activities and the background of the involved researchers in the fields of astronomy, physics and chemistry. The activities are largely shared with engineers who provide support for the computational activities and the experimental ones (PIRENEA). The team has therefore sufficient resources for the training of young researchers. The PIRENEA set-up is unique in some aspects and enables to run experiments in chemistry that are complementary to the ones led for instance by the Rennes team (eg., long timescales, generation of photofragments such as dehydrogenated PAHs). The team is also active in developing webtools. Finally, several members are highly experienced in the training and education of University students. All researchers are involved in the training of graduate students. Over the past four years, CJ has supervised 3 PhD students (1F, 2M), of whom 1 has graduated and 2 are current students. EC has supervised 7 PhD students (3F, 4M), of whom 3 has graduated and 4 are current students. AW has supervised 2 doctoral students (1F,1M) now graduated.

Involvement of Key Scientific Staff.

Significant References
1. The profile of the aromatic infrared bands explained with molecular carriers C. Pech, C. Joblin and P. Boissel, A& A . 388, 639-651 (2002).
2. Detection of doubly-deuterated methanol in the solar-type protostar IRAS 16293-2422, B. Parise, C. Ceccarelli, A.G.G.M., Tielens, E. Herbst, B. Lefloch, E. Caux, A. Castets, I. Mukhopadhyay, L. Pagani, L. Loinard, A& A, 393, L49-L53 (2002).