Molecular hydrogen is the most abundant molecule in the universe. It is the first one to form
and survive photo-dissociation in tenuous environments. Its formation involves catalytic …

Our Sun and planetary system were born about 4.5 billion years ago. How did this happen,
and what is the nature of our heritage from these early times? This review tries to address …

Cold dark clouds are nearby members of the densest and coldest phase in the Galactic
interstellar medium, and represent the most accessible sites where stars like our Sun are …

Molecular absorption and emission bands dominate the visible, infrared, and submillimeter
spectra of most objects with associated gas. These observations reveal a surprisingly rich …

The introduction of chemistry into astronomy is relatively recent and can be dated back to
about half a century ago, when molecules were discovered in space. In the 1930s it was …

We present evidence for CO depletion toward the starless cloud core L1544. A comparison
between C 17 O and the 1.3 mm continuum dust emission shows that CO is depleted by a …

Context. Low-energy cosmic rays are a fundamental source of ionization for molecular
clouds, influencing their chemical, thermal, and dynamical evolution. Aims. The purpose of …

Context. Gas phase Elemental abundances in molecular CloudS (GEMS) is an IRAM 30-m
Large Program aimed at determining the elemental abundances of carbon (C), oxygen (O) …

In this chapter we review recent advances in understanding the roles that magnetic fields
play throughout the star formation process, gained through observations and simulations of …

We have undertaken a survey of N 2 H+ and N 2 D+ toward 31 low-mass starless cores
using the IRAM 30 m telescope. Our main objective has been to determine the abundance …