The center for astrochemical studies at the max planck institute for extraterrestrial physics.

The Center for Astrochemical Studies (CAS), at the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics (MPE) in Garching, has been founded to incorporate scientists with different background to elucidate the physical-chemical processes that lead to the formation of stars and planets. The CAS group includes experts in observations (including millimetre and sub-millimetre interferometry, radio and infrared telescopes), theory (physical processes and dynamics, gas-grain chemical processes and dust evolution, molecular astrophysics and collisional/rate coefficients), and laboratory. The latter is mainly focused on spectroscopic characterisation of molecular species relevant in space, including ions, radicals and astronomically complex organic molecules. In this talk the laboratory group of the CAS will be briefly presented, including current projects and planned experiments