Speaker
Description
The formation of a planetary system similar to our own involves several physical processes, beginning with the collapse of a cold (≤ 10 K) and dense (≥ 10⁵ cm⁻³) prestellar core into a protostar, a protoplanetary disk, and eventually a planetary system. These stages are also accompanied by the evolution of the chemical composition, and astrochemistry serves as a powerful diagnostic tool to trace both past and present physical conditions.
The vast majority of observations that revealed the chemical composition of solar-type protostars have been made using millimeter-wavelength telescopes. In this spectral range, several relatively light molecules, like the interstellar complex organic molecules (iCOMs) or the small carbon chains (e.g., HC3N, c-C3H2) have their peak of emission. Radio wavelengths, on the other hand, allow us to observe more complex carbon species (e.g., C4H, C6H, HC7N, HC9N, C3S), which may play a crucial role in the transfer of organic material from the pre- and protostellar phases to newly formed planetary system objects like asteroids and comets. I will present preliminary results obtained with single-dish telescopes (GBT and Yebes) and discuss future perspectives on next-generation radio interferometers to map the spatial distribution of complex carbon species. In this context, I will also present a specific SKA1-MID Scientific Use Case (Band 5), developed as part of the "Cradle of Life" science working group activities.
