The University of Western Ontario
The chemistry of complex hydrocarbons in ejecta from evolved objects — This  investigation will analyze the infrared spectra (JWST/NIRSpec and JWST/MIRI-MRS) of seven carbon-rich stars in the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds that represent different stages in the evolution from red giants to planetary nebulae. Their spectra exhibit a variety of features from simple species (like acetylene, C2H2) to more complex chemicals such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. This investigation will exploit the unprecedented combination of spectral resolution, wavelength coverage, and sensitivity offered by NIRSpec and the MRS to explore the chemistry of complex hydrocarbons as carbon stars evolve into planetary nebulae. The resulting spectra will sample the gas and dust at different stages of evolution as carbon-rich objects seed their host galaxies with fresh dust.