Valparaiso University Departments Band Together to Find Clues in Decades Old Science Mystery
06/28/2023 – Valparaiso, Indiana – Stan Zygmunt, Ph.D., professor of physics and astronomy at Valparaiso University, is part of a team of faculty and student researchers that has recently received a grant from the Indiana Space Grant Consortium for $20,000. Their project, titled “Planetary Nebulae as Ideal Astrophysical Laboratories,” revolves around unidentified bands of infrared light emanating from space that suggest the possibility of complex, gaseous molecules among the stars.
“They appear to be present no matter where you look in space, but we don’t know the source of them,” Professor Zygmunt said.
Prior to advancements in infrared spectroscopy in the 60’s, it was assumed that the energy of stars would be too great to leave any nearby molecules whole, and that they would be shredded to atoms. Since then, over 200 organic molecules have been discovered floating in space through the radiation they give off. It’s possible that some of them could have even helped jump-start life on Earth.
“Finding the answer wouldn’t radically change our understanding of the formation of stars, but it could have some implications in our understanding of the origins of complex lifeforms,” Professor Zygmunt said.
Professor Zygmunt, Haiying Hed, Ph.D., associate professor of physics and astronomy, and their team will spend the summer examining potential candidate molecules to see if the infrared light they emit matches the characteristics of the mystery bands. The group is an interdepartmental mix of physics and computational chemistry students, working together and learning from each other as they try to tackle the problem.
“To an outsider, all science may look alike, but these are two very different fields, and we’re working at their intersection,” Professor Zygmunt said. “We’re hoping that, in the same way in the real world an experimental scientist may have a computational science partner they work with, we can model a similar situation for our students here.”
That kind of interdisciplinary collaboration, along with the opportunity to participate in the project, will give Valpo students an edge when it comes to succeeding academically and in the future workforce.
“These kinds of experiences for our students are really essential. For those who have a good experience, it can be transformative,” Professor Zygmunt said.
The Indiana Space Grant Consortium is a part of the NASA-funded National Space Grant Consortium, which provides support and funding for STEM projects related to space, avionics, aeronautics and more. For more on the organization, click here. For more on how Valpo is helping students look towards the stars, visit valpo.edu/physics-astronomy/.
