Invited Presentation

Progress, Challenges, and Opportunities in the Study of “Molecular Factories” in Space

Author(s): Xiaohu Li, ASIAA

Presenter: Xiaohu Li (ASIAA & NAOC)

On the Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB), stars that have reached the end of their lives eject gas and dust to their surroundings, forming a circumstellar envelope (CSE) containing a rich variety of complex molecules. These CSEs are true “molecular factories” in space, attracting great interests from both astronomers and chemists. Thanks to the progress from high-quality observations (e.g., Herschel, ALMA, etc.) and the improvement in the accurate reaction rates of the most abundant molecules, plus the development of new astrochemical models, much of successes have been made in the understanding of the compositions and chemistry of these “molecular factories”. In this talk, I will briefly introduce our previous and recent work during the investigation of the CSEs of all types of AGB stars. I will also talk about major challenges and opportunities we have in the next few years.