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S.R. Federman (UToledo)
Carbon monoxide is the second most abundant molecule in the interstellar medium. It is observed in diffuse and dark molecular clouds, circumstellar shells of evolved stars, planetary nebulae, and circumstellar disks. Its total abundance, the relative populations among its rotational and vibrational levels, and the relative abundances of its isotopomers are used as probes of the conditions in these environments. The conditions are extracted from theoretical models that include CO production and destruction, rotational and vibrational excitation, and processes that alter the relative mix of isotopomers. Recent observations, however, indicate a need for revisions to the models. My talk summarizes improvements to the data needed to obtain accurate abundances from ultraviolet spectra, new results on diffuse molecular clouds from UV spectra, and ongoing laboratory work on oscillator strengths for electronic transitions that are important for CO photochemistry.
This research was supported by grants from NASA.
The author(s) of this abstract have provided an email address for comments about the abstract: steven.federman@utoledo.edu
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Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, 37 #2
© 2005. The American Astronomical Soceity.