The Cologne Database for Molecular Spectroscopy, CDMS

Abstract

The unambiguous assignment of atomic or molecular lines in the interstellar or circumstellar medium (ISM or CSM) depends critically on the availability of laboratory data with appropriate accuracy. Above approximately 500 GHz the amount of transitions measured in the laboratory decreases fast. However, with upcoming missions such as the Stratospheric Observatory For Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA), the Herschel Space Observatory, or the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) the need for accurate rest frequencies up to at least 2 THz increases considerably. The catalog section of the Cologne Database for Molecular Spectroscopy (CDMS) has been created to provide the astronomical community with line frequencies of atoms and molecules of astronomical interest. The CDMS is available on the internet free of charge via http://www.ph1.uni-koeln.de/vorhersagen/ or via the short-cut http://www.cdms.de/.