ISO Spectroscopy of Gas and Dust: From Molecular Clouds to Protoplanetary Disks

Abstract

Observations of interstellar gas-phase and solid-state species in the 2.4 200 m range obtained with the spectrometers on board the Infrared Space Observatory (ISO) are reviewed. Lines and bands caused by ices, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, silicates, and gas-phase atoms and molecules (in particular H₂, CO, H₂O, OH, and CO₂) are summarized and their diagnostic capabilities illustrated. The results are discussed in the context of the physical and chemical evolution of star-forming regions, including photon-dominated regions, shocks, protostellar envelopes, and disks around young stars.