Spectroscopy of Interstellar Internal Rotors: An Important Tool for Investigating Interstellar Chemistry

Abstract

This paper is a review of molecules with internal rotors detected or tentatively detected with upper limits in the interstellar medium. Internal rotor molecules containing one or two methyl groups are present at each of the different phases leading to stellar and planetary formation, from the molecular clouds to the star and its planets. They are also found in comets and asteroids. They represent a ubiquitous hydrogen-rich substituent in many complex organic molecules. This paper shows how high resolution spectra (mainly in the microwave, millimeter and sub-millimeter wave range) are analyzed in the laboratory and what theoretical methods can be used to properly reproduce the spectra. We also present a range of examples of important methyl rotors studied and how they can be used as tools to study the chemistry of interstellar medium.