Astrophysics of Interstellar Matter

Overview

The Interstellar Matter Astrophysics (AMIS) team addresses major topics in the physical chemistry of interstellar matter, including gas and dust (composition, structure, evolution, etc.) in the diffuse medium, all the way through to the formation of stars and protoplanetary disks.

A special effort is being made to develop data processing and analysis tools, as well as to distribute reference products and software to the community.

We have been and continue to be involved in missions such as IRAS, ISO, Herschel, Planck, …

The AMIS team brings together experts in observation and modeling who seek to understand the evolutionary cycle of diffuse matter in galaxies, from the diffuse medium to the dense regions where star formation occurs. The team members are skilled in using ground-based and space-based observational tools to study the emission of gas (molecular and atomic transitions) and dust in the interstellar medium. The team was formed around the analysis of data from space missions (ISO, IRAS, Spitzer, Planck, Herschel, JWST), and has since developed recognized expertise in data modeling, particularly regarding the emission and extinction of interstellar dust, as well as gas emission in photodominated regions and protoplanetary disks.

“To understand the physical and chemical evolution of interstellar and circumstellar matter, since stars and planets form from this matter.”

Emilie Habart, AMIS Team Leader

The Team

Scientific Topics

  • Nature and Evolution of Interstellar Grains: Understanding and characterizing the evolution of grains from the diffuse medium to the dense regions of molecular clouds (coagulation, fragmentation by collisions or radiation), and modeling dust emission and extinction. 
  • Matter-radiation interaction in star-forming regions: understanding the impact of radiation emitted by young stars on the structure of interstellar clouds, on associated star formation, and on the thermodynamic and chemical evolution of matter.
  • Chemistry and dynamics of disks: understanding the chemical composition of inner disks (>10 au), where most planets form, and dynamic processes such as disk winds, which could play a decisive role in the accretion process and influence planetary migration.
  • Gas physics, structure formation, and galaxy evolution: understanding the physical processes involved in the formation of structures and the evolution of diffuse matter in galaxies (gravity, turbulence, thermal instability, stellar feedback).
  • Polarization and Magnetic Fields: Studying the properties of the interstellar magnetic field and understanding its role in the structuring of matter; modeling the emission from polarized dust in the context of galactic foregrounds to study the polarization of the CMB, particularly the B-mode.

Data Processing

The AMIS team is heavily involved in the Integrated Data and Operations Center (IDOC). Since its inception, it has been developing and maintaining expertise in high-level data processing pipelines for data from long-wavelength space missions: IRAS, ISO, Spitzer, Herschel, and currently JWST.

As part of the JWST MIRI instrument’s center of expertise, we maintain and operate the MIRI data processing pipelines with support from IDOC. We implement new algorithms in these pipelines and distribute the resulting products through a database designed for accessibility and interoperability (developed with REGARD in collaboration with CNES).

In addition, we have established the INCLASS (Innovative Common Laboratory for Space Spectroscopy) Joint Laboratory between the IAS and ACRI-ST. The goal of the LabCom is to develop tools for the joint analysis of spectroscopic and imaging data using data fusion methods. For us at the IAS, this involves JWST/MIRI data, and for ACRI-ST, data from the Sentinel-2 and Sentinel-3 missions of the European Copernicus program.

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