The IRAM conference “Multi-line Diagnostics of the Interstellar Medium” took finally place in Nice (France), from April 4-6, 2022, after a long period of travel restrictions and virtual meetings.

More than 150 scientists from across the world attended the conference that included three days of contributed and invited talks, as well as posters, on topics related to data analysis of multi-line observations and theoretical modeling.

Recent advances, current challenges and future directions

The conference’s program covered all aspects of millimeter and submillimeter astronomy, from the chemical complexity of the interstellar medium in the local and early Universe, to the chemical environment of stars in the earliest stages of formation and the physical and chemical evolution of galaxies over cosmic time. One of the highlights of the conference was the keynote speech by Nobel Laureate Reinhard Genzel.

The event also provided a platform for discussing new approaches to exploiting the unique capabilities of the world’s best millimeter and submillimeter facilities. With a special focus on the near completion of the expanded capabilities of the NOEMA interferometer, participants discussed the possibilities of spectral line measurements of molecular and atomic species with even higher spectral and spatial resolution than is currently possible.

The scientists benefited from this unique opportunity to share knowledge and learn about recent advances, current challenges, and future directions in millimeter and submillimeter astronomy. The proceedings of the conference will be published later this year.