Laboratory Ice Astrochemistry at Larger Scale Facilities

Complex organic species are expected to be formed in a variety of interstellar environments at the surface of ice grains by means of a combination of energetic and nonenergetic processing, e.g., photons, electrons, ions, and atoms. However, to date, many fundamental questions on the physicochemical origin of the observed molecular complexity in space and its link to life on Earth remain unanswered. The recent scientific achievements of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) are marking the onset of a new era for space science, astrophysics, astrochemistry, and astrobiology. The unprecedented combination of JWST and the ground-based Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) will respectively map and characterize the ice and the gas content of the interstellar medium toward a variety of space environments and physicochemical conditions, revolutionizing our understanding of the star formation process. In my talk, I will discuss new emerging laboratory techniques at larger scale facilities in Europe that will allow for a correct interpretation of observational ice data to help address some of the “Grand Challenges” in astrochemistry of the next decade.