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Laboratory astrophysics is the study of astrophysical phenomena in the laboratory (Earth- or space-based). This might include various aspects of astrochemistry (chemical reactions under extreme conditions of temperature, density, irradiation), plasma physics, spectroscopy, meteorite analysis, fluid dynamics, and magnetohydrodynamics.
The reported optical properties of organic hazes produced in water-rich exoplanet atmospheres differ from those in nitrogen-rich atmospheres. Such differences have a detectable effect on the spectra, impacting interpretation of JWST observations.
The interstellar chemistry of carbon atoms is crucial to chemical complexity in the Universe. This experimental work suggests that C-atom reactions on interstellar ice surfaces contribute to C–C bond formation and chemical evolution towards complex organic species.
Laser-driven shock compression experiments yield the melting curve of the superionic phase of ammonia at conditions relevant to the interiors of Uranus and Neptune.
Rapid proton capture nucleosynthesis stalls at waiting-point nuclides, including 64Ge. Precision mass measurements in the vicinity of this nuclide influence state-of-the-art calculations of X-ray bursts from accreting neutron stars.
Nanobowls represent building blocks of fullerenes and nanotubes as detected in combustion systems and deep space, but their formation mechanisms in these environments have remained elusive. Here, the authors explore the gas-phase formation of benzocorannulene and beyond to the C40 nanobowl.
Laboratory measurements reveal highly efficient formation of H2 at temperatures up to 250 K on a carbonaceous surface. This process should lead to a high rate of H2 formation on the surfaces of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in both nearby and high-redshift galaxies, bolstering the contribution of H2 to the cooling of warmer gas.
Carbon atoms are one of the most abundant chemical species in the earliest stages of star formation. They had been thought to be immobile on the surface of interstellar ice, but laboratory experiments now show that a significant fraction of carbon atoms can move on the surface and react — changing our view of interstellar organic chemistry.
Determining the melting temperature and electrical conductivity of ammonia under the internal conditions of the ice giants Uranus and Neptune is helping us to understand the structure and magnetic field formation of these planets.
Missions from various space agencies are going to be busy delivering material from different bodies throughout the upcoming decade, looking forward to the return of samples from Mars.
A laboratory experiment has replicated the braided strands of solar coronal loops and shown that the bursting of individual strands produces X-rays. Measurements of these braided strands and the generated X-rays reveal a multi-scale process that could be responsible for the energetic particles and X-rays that accompany solar flares.
Particles in space can be accelerated to high energy, the distribution of which follows a power law. This has now been reproduced in laboratory experiments mimicking astrophysical scenarios, which helps to understand the underlying mechanisms.
A paper in Science Advances uses a laboratory setup to simulate galaxy cluster cores and explain the suppression of heat conduction from the plasma core.
