MOLECULAR UNIVERSE

Research Training Network - FP6

Collective expertize of the network teams

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Participant Number 15: Orsay IAS (F)


Expertise in Research and Complementarity
The Orsay IAS (Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale) team is led by François Boulanger. The scientific research carried out at IAS follows from the laboratory's involvement in space experiments, in particular the infrared/sub-millimeter missions ISO, Herschel and Planck. François Boulanger leads a group of 35 researchers (including post-doctoral fellows and PhD students) working on the physics of the interstellar medium and galaxies. This activity includes an experimental laboratory for the study of the nature of dust and the chemical evolution of interstellar matter on grains, headed by Louis d'Hendecourt. The IAS team also brings to the network a wide expertise on the modelling of the physico-chemical evolution of matter in space coupling calculations of gas and dust thermal balance, gas phase chemistry including depletion and input from dust grains. The IAS which is located in the largest science university (Paris XI) in France benefits from close ties with physics and chemistry departments on campus.
Expertise in Training and Knowledge Transfer
The network student will join a group of about 12 PhD students currently preparing their thesis at the institute. Graduate students at IAS have the opportunity and are expected to attend classes and research seminars over a broad range of topics within Astrophysics, Physics and Chemistry. Postdocs and graduate students are also required to make regular contributions to local scientific seminars. They are encouraged to attend international meetings to present the results of their studies. The institute currently hosts one Marie Curie fellow Guillermo Munoz Carro working on the processing of organic mantles on interstellar grains. The following table lists the IAS staff scientists involved in network-related research. Four of us are giving graduate lectures at the University and over the past 4 years, we have supervised numerous research projects including the PhD research of 10 graduate students out of which 4 female students.

Involvement of Key Scientific Staff.

Name Position M/F Expertise
F. Boulanger Staff M Astronomy, modelling
E. Dartois Staff M Astrochemistry
L. d'Hendecourt Staff M Astrochemistry
E. Falgarone Staff F Astronomy, modeling
G. Pineau des Forêts Professor M Modelling
L. Verstraete Associate Professor M Astronomy, modeling

Significant References
1. Dartois, E., D'Hendecourt, L., Boulanger, F., et al.: Molecular gas phase counterparts to sold state grain mantle features: implication for gas/grain chemistry, 1998, A & A, 331, 651
2. Habart, E.; Boulanger, F.; Verstraete, L.;Pineau des Forêts, G.; Falgarone, E.; Abergel, A.: H2 infrared line emission across the bright side of the rho Ophiuchi main cloud, 2002 A & A 391, 675