Theory

Galactic cosmic rays (CRs) are a ubiquitous source of ionization and heating of the interstellar gas. In dense astrophysical environments – such as molecular clouds and pre-stellar cores, where UV and X-ray photons cannot penetrate – the ionization and heating are completely dominated by CRs. One of the principal aims of the CAS-Theory group is to understand properties and transport mechanisms of low-energy CRs, and to derive a bigger picture relating the local CR spectra to the physics of Galactic CRs. The ultimate goal of these efforts is to enable self-consistent modelling of the key physical and chemical processes governed by CRs in molecular clouds. Several recent highlights of our research are presented below. more

The astrochemical modeling efforts at CAS aim to understand the physical and chemical evolution of interstellar matter across a variety of environments. The state-of-the-art models developed at CAS support the interpretation of observations performed in the group and by external collaborators, and seek to provide further understanding of phenomena that could not be explained before. In this Section, we highlight some recent modeling projects that deal with cosmic rays, coupling chemistry and magnetohydrodynamics, as well as disk and planet formation.

Machine learning (ML) is emerging as a key component of the CAS toolkit, connecting simulations and observations across astrochemistry. In our case, ML is not only employed to enhance computational performance, but also to improve the physical understanding of several astrophysically relevant environments by reducing chemical network complexity, analysing synthetic observations, mapping molecules in hot corinos and starless cores, and exploring planetary atmospheres.