There are a few teams working on the theoretical aspects of cosmic chemistry, and their work neatly complements the experimental activities .
Anthony Meijer is currently working on the formation of H 2 on graphite . H 2 is the most abundant molecule in interstellar space and it plays an important role in the formation of stars and in interstellar chemistry through reactions with ions and radicals.
Moreover, the energetics of the reaction directly influences the thermal balance of the interstellar medium. H 2 is generally supposed to be formed on interstellar dust grains for which the graphite is used as a template.
His calculations are done in collaboration with Prof. A. J. Fisher of UCL and complement experiments done in the group of Prof. S. D. Price at UCL and astronomical modelling and observations done in the groups of Prof. D. A. Williams and Dr. J. Rawlings at UCL through the Centre for Cosmic Chemistry and Physics.
