MOLECULAR UNIVERSE

Expertise in Research and Complementarity
The Lille team, lead by Dr. J. Demaison (JD) and Prof. G. Wlodarczak (GW), has wide experience in high resolution molecular spectroscopy from microwave to far infrared region, including rotational spectroscopy of (un)stable species of astrophysical interest in the ground state and highly vibrationally excited states, analysis of large amplitude motions including internal rotation. The experimental part of our work is generally supported by high level quantum chemical calculations. The team has collaborated for 20 years with the astronomical community via the French interdisciplinary program Physico-Chimie du Milieu Interstellaire. Some collaborations with other groups of the network have been recently initiated: notably for the study of PAH's (Toulouse, LPPM). Our spectroscopy group is part of the Laboratoire de Physique des Lasers, Atomes et Molécules (PhLAM). The team has been especially active in European collaborative research. JD was coordinator of a previous TMR Network, SCAMP, on molecular spectroscopy applied to astrophysics and atmospherical sciences. He is also the coordinator of a recently created Laboratoire Européen Associé (LEA) devoted to high resolution spectroscopy and involving two other groups of the network (PPM and Cologne). The Lille team has also a long tradition in bilateral european collaboration, through various Procope, Picasso, Tournesol and Aurora programmes. GW is one of the four managers of the French network on high resolution molecular spectroscopy (SPECMO), recently created by the CNRS (2001), which coordinates the research in this field among 15 laboratories. JD and GW are also involved in the edition of molecular databases of molecular constants determined from high resolution spectroscopy (Landolt-Börnstein Series, Springer Verlag).
Expertise in Training and Knowledge Transfer
The wide set of spectrometers present in our laboratory offer a good opportunity for young researchers to collect diverse experience, including chemical synthesis, optics, electronics design, vacuum technology, informatics for setting up experiments and interpreting them. For young researchers coming from other fields we offer the interdisciplinary opportunity to test astrophysical ideas in the laboratory. Our group has a large experience in training PhD students and a long tradition in inviting and collaborating with senior scientists. We are involved in many interdisciplinary research programmes either with other spectroscopists working in different spectral regions or with people involved in astrophysical or atmospheric sciences applications. We have experience in the organisation of schools (national or international) : eg., JD was the coordinator of a recent NATO school held in November 2000 in Bratislava, entitled ``Spectroscopy from space''. Over the past four years JD and GW have supervised 4 PhD students (4M), of whom 2 have graduated and 2 are current students.

Involvement of Key Scientific Staff.

Significant References
1. J. Demaison, H. Hübner, W. Hüttner, J. Vogt and G. WlodarczakLandolt-Börnstein, New Series, Volume II/24C Molecular Constants mostly from Microwave, Molecular Beam and Sub-Doppler Laser Spectroscopy: Dipole moments, quadrupole coupling constants, hindered rotation and magnetic interaction constants of diamagnetic molecules (Supplement to Vol. II/4, II/6, II/14 and II/19), 296 pp, Springer, Berlin (2002)
2. Spectroscopy of the formaldehyde isotopomer HCO in the microwave to terahertz region, H. S. P. Mueller, R. Gendriesch, L. Margules, F. Lewen, G. Winnewisser, R. Bocquet, J. Demaison, U. Woetzel, H. Maeder, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 2 3401 (2000)