2. Space chemistry modeling

Understanding how all this interstellar molecular matter evolves chemically under the influence of interactions between gases, grains, photons and energetic particles (cosmic rays) is a discipline in its own right: astrochemistry. It brings together astronomers, chemists (experimentalists and theoreticians) and physicists (specialists in atoms, molecules and solids). With the improvement of space detection methods, more and more molecules are being discovered in a wide variety of astrophysical objects (stellar envelopes, interstellar medium, planetary atmospheres, comet tails). Explaining this chemistry is therefore becoming a major challenge, as it reflects the physical conditions (matter densities, temperatures, age) of the astrophysical objects where these molecules are observed, making space chemistry modeling a powerful tool for studying the physics of space environments.