Ewine F. van Dishoeck

Leiden University

Research field

Astrochemistry, molecular spectroscopy of star and planet forming regions

Ewine van Dishoeck studies the molecules in the clouds and disks where stars and planets form, using spectra from ALMA, Herschel and JWST together with laboratory data. Her work has traced water and organic molecules along the path from interstellar clouds to planet-forming disks. A 2023 paper she led used infrared spectra from JWST to show that the inner regions of such disks differ widely in their chemistry, some rich in water, others in carbon dioxide or hydrocarbons. The unit presents this result as an application of line identification and line strengths.

In the masterclass

Section 5, after the text on molecular lines, shows how her team read the composition and temperature of planet-forming disks from JWST spectra.

The research is presented in Unit 3: Light, Radiation and Spectra, in a research spotlight box that explains the result at the level of the unit and links it to the physics you have just learned.

The paper

The diverse chemistry of protoplanetary disks as revealed by JWST