Radio telescopes help scientists map molecules in space and uncover where and how stars form
Interstellar maps can help scientists find patterns that tell them about fundamental chemical processes in the cosmos.
Radio telescopes are aiding scientists in mapping molecules in space and determining where and how stars form. Carl Sagan once said, "We are made of star-stuff," referring to the fact that heavier elements were created in the cores of first stars. As an astrochemist and radio astronomer, I investigate the locations in the universe where stars are born as interstellar laboratories.
Specifically, I focus on the chemistry of high-mass, star-forming regions, such as the Orion Kleinmann-Low nebula, also known as Orion KL. This nebula, part of the Great Orion Nebula, is approximately 1,300 light-years away from our solar system.
Stars and the molecules that accompany them form over hundreds of thousands or millions of years, making real-time observation impossible. Instead, I analyze Orion KL's chemistry by examining radio waves emitted by the nebula. Radio waves are long-wavelength electromagnetic radiation that telescopes can detect, allowing us to observe the unique radio signatures of individual molecules.
Each molecule emits a distinct pattern of radio signals, known as a spectrum, which can be compared to determine the molecule's abundance and temperature.
To map molecular clouds with greater precision, astronomers increasingly use larger radio telescopes. Single-dish telescopes, which can be up to 1,640 feet (500 meters) in diameter, are capable of detecting structures up to about 2,600 astronomical units across. However, when studying features on the scale of a few hundred astronomical units, scientists require even larger telescopes.
This is where radio interferometers come in. These systems consist of numerous individual dishes that function collectively as one giant telescope, enabling the observation of smaller-scale phenomena that are otherwise invisible to single-dish telescopes. The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), located in the Chilean Atacama Desert, is the radio interferometer I utilize for my research.
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