The Bergner Astrochemistry Group

UC Berkeley, Department of Chemistry

The regions around forming stars are host to a surprisingly rich chemistry, leading to the production of molecules both familiar and exotic. The synthesis of relatively large organic molecules in star-forming regions is especially exciting because planets are born alongside stars, raising the possibility that astrochemically produced organics could seed nascent planets with ingredients for origins of life chemistry. More broadly, chemistry along the star- and planet-formation sequence has wide-ranging impacts on the compositions and properties of newly formed planetary systems. Our group uses a variety of tools to explore this astrochemistry.