Speaker
Prof.
Peter Bernath
(Old Dominion University)
Description
The atmospheres of cool astronomical objects are full of molecules. The spectra of cool stars, brown dwarfs, planets and exoplanets are dominated by molecular bands and the classification of these objects depends largely on molecular features. Compared to atoms, molecules have many more lines because of vibrational and rotational degrees of freedom, which lead to complex spectra from the microwave to the ultraviolet. For small molecules opacities are based on line lists, while for large molecules absorption cross sections are needed. This talk will survey the experimental and computational approaches to the preparation of line lists and cross sections, illustrated by applications to selected astrophysical problems.
Primary author
Prof.
Peter Bernath
(Old Dominion University)
