Astrochemistry: overview and challenges

TL;DR

This paper reviews the field of astrochemistry, highlighting recent advances, interdisciplinary connections, and outlining fourteen future challenges across various cosmic environments.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of astrochemistry and formulates key challenges for future research in the field.

Findings

Recent developments in astrochemistry across different cosmic environments

Emphasis on interdisciplinary connections between astronomy and chemistry

Identification of fourteen future challenges for the field

Abstract

This paper provides a brief overview of the journey of molecules through the Cosmos, from local diffuse interstellar clouds and PDRs to distant galaxies, and from cold dark clouds to hot star-forming cores, protoplanetary disks, planetesimals and exoplanets. Recent developments in each area are sketched and the importance of connecting astronomy with chemistry and other disciplines is emphasized. Fourteen challenges for the field of Astrochemistry in the coming decades are formulated.