Experimental and computational chemistry complement each other in providing essential data for astronomical observations and modeling. Through DFT calculations and TPD experiments, the binding energies of ethanol and ethylamine on water ices and on bare gold surface were characterized, revealing a distinct behaviour onto these two surfaces.

POLYCLEAVER: a new software to automatically generate stoichiometric and non-polar surface slab models for ionic complex solid-state systems.

The nanoindentation technique was used to determine mechanical and elemental properties of lunar meteorites.

Sulphur depletion observed in dense molecular clouds raises questions about the fate of sulphur once it is adsorbed on the surface of dust grains. At this purpose, the adsorption of both neutral and charged S-bearing species on olivine nanoclusters is investigated. Our simulations highlight a strong interaction between S-bearing species and the mineral, especially between sulphur and iron atoms.

A synergistic experimental and theoretical approach reveal that silicate surfaces present attractive catalytic properties to synthesis sugars through the formose reaction under prebiotic conditions.

A novel automated pipeline for meteor classification employing the artificial intelligence-based Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) is presented alongside practical applications.

The fundamental differences between gas-phase and grain-surface chemistry is highlighted by simulating the formation routes of representative iCOMs occurring within these two scenarios.

Amides, such as urea, are key molecules in prebiotic chemistry because they possess the C-N bond, which is also found in amino acids and nucleobases. Urea has been detected in a few sources in the interstellar medium, raising questions about its synthesis. We characterized various formation mechanisms on the icy mantles of dust grains. We found that presence of icy surfaces is crucial, as they act as reactant concentrators and likely play the role of third body.

Our latest research focuses on the analysis of an unusual grazing meteor, FH1, detected by the Finnish Fireball Network in October 2022. The meteoroid, with cm-sized dimensions, exhibited an inbound hyperbolic orbit and asteroidal consistency. Our findings suggest that FH1 is more likely a perturbed Oort cloud object than an interstellar interloper, given its orbital plane’s alignment with the ecliptic and proximity to the parabolic velocity limit.