Interstellar molecules
In his dissertation, Rap investigates the formation and destruction pathways of a specific class of important interstellar molecules: polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). These molecules were for a long time thought to be present in space based on astronomically observed infrared emission features. Only recently this could be confirmed when several smaller members of the PAH family were unambiguously identified in very cold regions of space using radio astronomy. However, their formation and destruction pathways in these astronomical environments are still far from understood.