Institute of Astronomy

ContactPiwnice k. Torunia, 87-148 Łysomice
tel.: +48 56 611 30 10
fax: +48 56 611 30 09

Molecular astrophysics (Astrochemistry)

Interstellar Medium (ISM) is a dominant reservoir of mass in galaxies. ISM gives us an opportunity to study formation and death of stars at small scales and physical and chemical evolution of galaxies at large scales. Our research concerns observations of gas and dust in a broad range of electromagnetic spectrum using the largest telescopes and their networks (ESO, ESA, SOFIA and VLBI). This way, we investigate how stars are formed and how they interact with the surrounding ISM, determine the chemical composition of both dense and diffuse medium and the initial conditions of planet formation.


Group members:

  • dr Agata Karska
  • dr Beata Deka-Szymankiewicz
  • mgr Marcin Gładkowski
  • lic. Katarzyna Dutkowska
  • lic. Monika Matuszak
  • lic. Agnieszka Mirocha
  • lic. Michał Żółtowski
  • Dominika Itrich
  • Jarosław Stephan
  • Krzysztof Lisiecki

Former group members:

  • mgr Łukasz Tychoniec (Leiden University)
  • lic. Mateusz Gibowski
  • lic. Łukasz Iwanecki
  • lic. Aleksandra Leśniewska (Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań)
  • Dora Klindzić (University in Zagreb)

Popular articles (in Polish):

  • ”Narodziny światów. Z prochu powstałeś… czyli chemia kosmosu”, Darek Lis, Agata Karska, Ewine van Dishoeck – Urania-PA 1/2017 (urania.edu.pl)
  • “Na początku jest woda”, Agata Karska – Academia PAN nr 4 (44) 2015 (naukaonline.pl)
  • “Opalanie w protogwiazdach?” PAP, 19.06.2017 (naukawpolsce.pap.pl)

 

Most important publications:

  • Karska A., Kaufman M.J., Kristensen L.E. i in. (2017) The Herschel-PACS legacy of low-mass protostars: Properties of warm and hot gas and its origin in far-UV illuminated shocks, accepted to ApJS
  • Tychoniec Ł., Tobin J.J., Karska A. i in. (2017) The VLA Nascent Disk And Multiplicity Survey of Perseus Protostars (VANDAM). III. Extended Radio Emission from Protostars in Perseus, ApJ 852, 18

  • Matuszak M., Karska A., Kristensen L.E. i in. (2015) Far-infrared CO and H2O emission in intermediate-mass protostars, A&A 578, 4

  • Karska A., Kristensen L.E., van Dishoeck E.F. i in. (2014) Shockingly low water abundances in Herschel/PACS observations of low-mass protostars in Perseus, A&A 572, 24

  • Karska A., Herpin F., Bruderer S. i in. (2014) Far-infrared molecular lines from low- to high-mass star forming regions observed with Herschel, A&A 562, 45

  • Karska A., Herczeg G.J., van Dishoeck E.F. i in. (2013) Water in star-forming regions with Herschel (WISH). III. Far-infrared cooling lines in low-mass young stellar objects, A&A 552, 141