Scientific Interests#
Introduction
My name is Vincent Deguin, Astrophysics PhD student at the Open University. I am passionate about my scientific topic, outreach and education, as well as an aspiring web developer. The image on the right is the edge of a nearby, young, star-forming region called NGC 3324 in the Carina Nebula, pictured by the recently launched James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). This brand new Infrared space telescope will bring exciting times for astronomers like me, but also for you, provided that scientific discoveries are shared in an accessible format (cf Manifesto). Fortunately, I have an insatiable appetite for Open Science and this web-site is an attempt to make the outputs of my scientific journey as open, accesible and reproducible as possible, as well as providing a plateform for self minded researcher to contribute in the production of a research compendium, in an Encyclopaedia style.
My niche
I am a laboratory astrophysicists studying the icy mantle coating interstellar dust grains.
Fig. 3 [Source](to find)#
My Scientific Interests
Interstellar Dust Grains#
» Interstellar ?#
Not the the movie, but actually the medium we find between the stars
Hopefully you have had the chance to see the galaxie in your lifetime... Now focus on the dark feature:
Molecular Clouds
This a typical and vary famous interstellar environment, the Pillars of Creation.
Molecular Cloud
Pillars of creation
Tutorials
» Dust Grains #
Formation#
Evolution#
Note
Dust grain evolve throughout the ISM and play an important role …
Fig. 6 .jpg :name: Dust cycle in Galaxy Source#
Role#
Astrochemistry
Planet formation
Ices in Space#
In space, ice is not a crystal like here on earth, but an amorphous material with very distinct properties. It is present in many environments:
» Covering Interstellar Dusts #
Dust is ubiquitus in space. They are produced by Stars as sub-µm grains made of either carbon or silicate and are subsequently dispersed by the solar winds in the ISM. In the high vacuum of space, they provide a surface for atoms and small molecules to stick and react, and are hence the main catalyst of chemical reactions in the Universe. When the dust is embeded within Molecular Clouds (Fig. 2), they are protected from radiation and an icy layer can form around the dust grain. Molecular Clouds are the birth place of Stars, and all those tiny µm interstellar dust grains (and gas) contained within the cloud will be the building blocks of all the solar system bodies.
Interesting subject to study, don’t you think ?
Note: Fig. 7 is actually not an interstellar dust grain but an interplanetary grain (easier to catch - with the Stardust mission)
» In Protoplanetary Disks #
Star formation is a complicated process that is not yet perfectly understood. They are the result of the gravitational collapse of a dense part of a molecular cloud (referred as clump). Protoplanetary Disks are a byproduct of star formation. They contain both Dust and Gas (ratio of 1:99) and in a time scale of a few million years will result in a solar system like our own…
substructure
snowline: thought to promote planet formation …
Include video on hover of PPD with text explaining that we find our dust grain there
» Within Comets & Icy Moons #
Where ice is present today in the solar system
Comets are pristine solar system bodies that can give us information about the processes at play during the earliest stages of planet formation.
Enceladus, Jupyter Moon … Water, life tout ca tout ca …
Observations, Experiments & Modelling#
No astronomical questions is solved without the interplay of those three disciplines
» Observations
JWST
Fig. 10 JWST#
Want to know more ?
The James Webb Space Telescope is a revolution for Astronomers. It will give new insights about …
» Amorphous ice experiments
My Expertise
This is my confort zone (almost)
Vapor deposited
Hyperquenched
» Water Ice Models
Astrochemistry vs Geochemistry#
Most of the chemistry in space occurs within the ice mantle covering interstellar dust.
» Molecules in space#
Note
Insert table of molecules, links to molecular zoo
Insert Ross picture of a meteroite
» Cosmochemistry#
The Ariane Thread for Planet Formation
Note
Bridging the gap
Deuterium fractionation
Science questions#
From those topics, there is an incredible sets of science questions arising, where Scientists from multiple disciplines have to make a joint effort:
Note
insert here a list of the scientific questions relevant to the above fields
This lead me to the last of my scientific intrerest
Tools for Open Science#
Note
link to the help section
Comments#
Notes
Page
Author: Vincent Deguin;
Status:
🔎Reviewed: ❌
Updated: 28/05/2023
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