In an article published inReview of Scientific Instruments,scientists describe in detail how VENUS (Vers de Nouvelles Syntheses, "towards a new
“We are trying to simulate how complexorganic molecules are formed under such harsh conditions, explains Emanuele Congiu, one of the authors of the study. “Observatories just see a lot of molecules in space. What we do not yet understand or fully understand is how they formed in this harsh environment. "
VENUS has a camera designed to simulatespace vacuum and maintain a cold temperature of about 10 Kelvin (–240 ° C). The device is supplied with atoms or molecules on a tiny strip of ice, without disturbing the environment.
Abdellahi Sow uses the VENUS apparatus, which offers researchers an understanding of how life can form in space. Credit: Emanuele Congiu
This process, according to the scientists, reproduces how molecules form on the icy surface of tiny dust particles found in interstellar clouds. Over the past 50 yearsAbout 200 different molecular species have been found in star-forming regions in space.Scientists believe that some of them, the so-called "prebiotic species," are involvedin the processes leading up to the emergence of early life forms.
The main application of the VENUS device will beis to work together with scientists who are discovering molecular reactions in space but need a fuller understanding of what they have observed.
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