IAU 280: The Molecular Universe

The Molecular Universe

May 30 - June 3, 2011 Toledo, Spain

This meeting is the sixth in a series of IAU Symposia on Astrochemistry, following the 1985 Goa, 1991 Brazil, 1996 Leiden, 1999 Korea and 2005 Asilomar symposia. The main goal of the meeting is to bring together observers, theoreticians, and  experimentalists from different communities to discuss the many different aspects of our rapidly developing field. See the meeting website for further announcements.

The Scientific Organizing Committee (chair, Ewine van Dishoeck; vice-chair Eric Herbst) is formed by the IAU Working Group on Astrochemistry of IAU Commission 34/Division VI (Interstellar Medium), whereas the Local Organizing Committee (chair: Jose Chernicharo; vice-chair Rafael Bachiller) is led by the Department of Astrophysics of the CAB (CSIC-INTA) and the Observatorio Astronomico Nacional (OAN) in Madrid.

Topics include:

• star-forming regions from cold pre-stellar clouds to hot cores
• protoplanetary disks
• exoplanets and their atmospheres
• solar system objects from comets to Kuiper Belt
• envelopes around evolved stars
• extragalactic astrochemistry out to high redshift
• diffuse and dense interstellar clouds
• laboratory astrochemistry: gas and solid state
• theoretical studies of basic molecular data
• new tools for the analysis of spectral data
• role of heterogeneity and dynamics in chemical modeling
• "hot" results from Herschel and promise of ALMA