Winter school on Laboratory Astrophysics : tracking the evolution of cosmic matter towards molecular complexity (LCPQ, Les Houches). – 13-18 March 2022

https://lab-astrophysic.sciencesconf.org

The school will take place at “Les Houches School of Physics”, located in the Chamonix valley of the French Alps in March 13-18 2022.  This winter school is a PCMI-supported initiative and is addressed to a very broad audience, extending well beyond its own frontiers. It includes the fields of astrochemistry and planetary sciences. All researchers (PhD, post docs and permanent researchers) are welcome.

This school focuses on advanced experimental and theoretical approaches used to produce, analyze and investigate the properties and the evolution of extraterrestrial analogs in the laboratory, and dedicated to improve our understanding of the origin and evolution of complex molecular matter observed in space, from dense molecular clouds up to the formation of new stars, planetary bodies and comets. The program will present a wide range of complementary and advanced methods allowing the production, analysis and investigation of properties and evolution of extraterrestrial analogs, that were developed in recent years in close connection to the most relevant astronomical observations. Emphasis will be put on the degree of chemical and/or structural complexity which can be achieved in the gas and solid phases and at their interface under space conditions. The methods used to characterize the physics of silicates and carbonaceous dust, and to investigate the formation/destruction processes of ices will be detailed. Techniques used to analyze matter from cometary and asteroid origins will also be presented. During the school, interactive sessions with invited teachers will be organized and all participants are encouraged to present their own work during poster sessions.

The organizing committee : Jean-Hugues Fillion, Ludovic Biennier, Grégoire Danger and Aude Simon