SAMARA, February 15 Scientists from Korolev Samara University have launched a world-class experimental installation that will allow reproducing the conditions of deep space and to study the evolution of organic molecules in our galaxy, the university press service told reporters.
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“Work on assembling the installation has been completed, we have launched it. The first experiments were carried out and interesting results were obtained. The main goal of these first experiments was, firstly, to check that the installation works as intended, and secondly, to look at the chemical processes in methane interstellar ice from a new angle,” said Ivan, Associate Professor of the Department of Physics at Korolev Samara University Antonov.
According to the scientist, methane ice is a fairly well studied system; in different countries it has already been irradiated with ultraviolet rays, electrons, protons, alpha particles and nuclei of heavier elements. Experiments at the Samara University facility showed that the equipment works as designed.
The university noted that research on the interaction of ionizing radiation with analogues of interstellar ice has been carried out in the world for a long time, but the understanding of the synthesis of complex organic molecules in interstellar space is still in its infancy. Previous studies were limited by the technical capabilities to conduct experiments and analyze the resulting molecules. In the installation of Samara scientists, it is possible to reproduce the conditions of various corners of the interstellar medium — from cold molecular clouds to star formation regions.
Scientists believe that thanks to such experiments it will be possible to obtain biologically important molecules. In this case, it will be possible to understand, for example, how the simplest amino acids are formed in space, which can then reach Earth with the help of meteorites. The installation will also be able to test the radiation strength of promising materials for spacecraft skins.
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