Christiaan Boersma

Senior Research Scientist, ARC/SJSURF

Professional Biography
Education
Research Interests
Select Publications
Select Accepted Proposals
NASA Missions and Selected Proposals
Awards & Others
Press releases and Websites

Affiliation: NASA Ames Research Center / San José State University Research Foundation

Email: Christiaan.Boersma@nasa.gov / Christiaan.Boersma@sjsu.edu

Phone: 650-604-3664

Professional Biography

Dr. Christiaan Boersma is a Senior Research Scientist employed through the San José State University Research Foundation in support of a collaboration between the Physics and Astronomy Department at San José State University and the Astrophysics & Astrochemistry Laboratory Group at NASA‘s Ames Research Center.

Dr. Boersma’s research focuses on the role of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in a multitude of astronomical environments, with special interest for intermediate-mass star-forming regions. He conducts his research through analyzing and interpreting astronomical data obtained by state-of-the-art ground, air and space-based observatories, e.g., JWST, VISIR, Spitzer, SOFIA and Herschel, using a combination of laboratory and synthesized spectroscopic data. This research subsequently provides insight into the prevailing physical conditions in these environments and allows for a better understanding of the governing astrophysical processes, which can then be tied in with evolutionary scenarios. The NASA Ames PAH IR Spectroscopic Database (PAHdb) plays an important part in his research. Dr. Boersma has a leading role in PAHdb and its associated tools. PAHdb now guides the development of new methodologies in analyzing astronomical data, which are particularly relevant to data being returned by the JWST.

Dr. Boersma is involved with various initiatives for making Laboratory Astrophysics and Planetary Science data, and associated tools available to the science community. This includes the NASA Ames PAH IR Spectroscopic Database, the Optical Constants Database (OCdb) and the NASA Raman Database (Ramdb).

Education

Ph.D. Astronomy, Kapteyn Astronomical Institute, University of Groningen, The Netherlands

M. Sc. Astronomy, Kapteyn Astronomical Institute, University of Groningen, The Netherlands

B. Sc. Astronomy, Kapteyn Astronomical Institute, University of Groningen, The Netherlands

Research Interests

Mid-IR, Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons, Star- and Planet-Formation, Interstellar Medium, Databases, Software Development

Select Publications

Maragkoudakis, A., Boersma, C., Temi, P., Bregman, J.D., Allamandola, A.L., “Linking Characteristics of the Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Population with Galaxy Properties: A Quantitative Approach Using the NASA Ames PAH IR Spectroscopic Database”, 2022, Astrophys. J., 931, 38 [PDF]

Berné, O., Habart, E., Peeters, E., Abergel, A., Bergin, E.A., Bernard-Salas, J., Bron, E., Cami, J., Cazaux, S., Dartois, E., Fuente, A., Goicoechea, J.R., Gordon, K.D., Okada, Y., Onaka, T., Robberto, M., Röllig, M., Tielens, A.G.G.M., Vicente, S., Wolfire, M.G., Alarcon, F., Boersma, C., Canin, A., Chown, R., Dicken, D., Languignon, D., Le Gal, R., Pound, M.W., Trahin, B., Simmer, T., Sidhu, A., Van De Putte, D., Cuadrado, S., Guilloteau, C., Maragkoudakis, A., Schefter, B.R., Schirmer, T., Aleman, I., Allamandola, L.J., Auchettl, R., Baratta, G.A., Bejaoui, S., Bera, P.P., Bilalbegovic, G., Black, J.H., Boulanger, F., Bouwman, J., Brandl, B., Brechignac, P., Brunken, S., Burkhardt, A., Candian, A., Cernicharo, J., Chabot, M., Chakraborty, S., Champion, J., Colgan, S.W.J., Cooke, I.R., Coutens, A., Cox, N.L.J., Demyk, K., Donovan Meyer, J., Engrand, C., Foschino, S., Garcia-Lario, P., Gavilan, L., Gerin, M., Godard, M., Gottlieb, C.A., Guillard, P., Gusdorf, A., Hartigan, P., He, J., Herbst, E., Hornekaer, L., Jaeger, C., Janot-Pacheco, E., Joblin, C., Kaufman, M., Kemper, F., Kendrew, S., Kirsanova, M.S., Klaassen, P., Knight, C., Kwok, S., Lai, T.S.-Y., Lee, T.J., Lefloch, B., Le Petit, F., Li, A., Linz, H., Mackie, C.J., Madden, S.C., Mascetti, J., McGuire, B.A., Merino, P., Micelotta, E.R., Misselt, K., Morse, J.A., Mulas, G., Neelamkodan, N., Ohsawa, R., Omont, A., Paladini, R., Palumbo, M.E., Pathak, A., Pendleton, Y.J., Petrignani, A., Puga, E., Rangwala, N., Rapacioli, M., Ricca, A., Roman-Duval, J., Roser, J.E., Roueff, E., Rouille, G., Salama, F., Sales, D.A., Sandstrom, K., Sarre, P., Sciamma-O’Brien, E.M., Sellgren, K., Shannon, M.J., Shenoy, S.S., Teyssier, D., Thomas, R.D., Togi, A., Verstraete, L., Witt, A.N., Wootten, A., Ysard, N., Zettergren, H., Zhang, Y., Zhang, Z.E., Zhen, J., “PDRs4All: A JWST Early Release Science Program on radiative feedback from massive stars”, 2022, PASP, 134, 054301

Gavilan, L., Ricketts, C.L., Bejaoui, S., Ricca, A., Boersma, C., Salama, F., Mattioda, A.L., “Raman Spectroscopic Study of Pyrene in Cosmic Dust Analogues: Evolution from the Gas to the Solid Phase”, 2022, ACS Earth Space Chem., 6, 2215-2225

Ricca, A., Boersma, C., Peeters, E., “The 6.2 µm PAH Feature and the Role of Nitrogen: Revisited”, 2021, Astrophys. J., 923, 202

Allamandola, A.L., Boersma, C., Lee, T.J., Bregman, J.D., Temi, P., “PAH Spectroscopy from 1-5 µm”, 2021, Astrophys. J. Letters, 917, L35

Bouwman, J., Boersma, C., Bulak, M., Kamer, J., Castellanos, P., Tielens, A.G.G.M., Linnartz, H., “Gas-phase infrared spectroscopy of the rubicene cation (C26H14•⁺)”, 2020, Astronomy & Astrophysics, 636, A57

Mattioda, A.L., Hudgins, D.M., Boersma, C., Bauschlicher, Jr., C.W., Ricca, A., Cami, J., Peeters, E., Sánchez de Armas, F., Puerta Saborido, F., Allamandola, L.J., “The NASA Ames PAH IR Spectroscopic Database: The Laboratory Spectra”, 2020, Astrophys. J. Suppl. Ser., 251, 22 [PDF]

Mattioda, A.L., Cruz-Diaz, G.A., Ging, A., Barnhardt, M., Boersma, C., Allamandola, L.J., Schneider, T., Vaughn, J., Phillips, B., Ricca, A., “Formation of Complex Organic Molecules (COMs) from Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs): Implications for ISM IR Emission Plateaus and Solar System Organics”, 2020, ACS Earth Space Chem., 4, 2227

Zang, R.X., Peeters, E., Boersma, C., “Tying Spatial Variations in Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon (PAH) Emission to a Changing PAH Population in the Reflection Nebula NGC 2023”, 2019, Astrophys. J., 887, 42

Ricca, A., Roser, J.E., Peeters, E., Boersma, C., “Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons with Armchair Edges: Potential Emitters in Class B Sources”, 2019, Astrophys. J, 882, 56

Shannon, M.J., Boersma, C., “Examining the class B to A shift of the 7.7 µm PAH band with the NASA Ames PAH IR Spectroscopic Database”, 2019, Astrophys. J., 871, 214

Boersma, C., Bregman, J., Allamandola, L.J., “The Charge State of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons across a Reflection Nebula, an H II Region, and a Planetary Nebula”, 2018, Astrophys. J., 858, 67

Bauschlicher, Jr., C.W., Ricca, A., Boersma, C., Allamandola, L.J., “The NASA Ames PAH IR Spectroscopic Database: Computational Version 3.00 with Updated Content and the Introduction of Multiple Scaling Factors”, 2018, Astrophys. J. Suppl. Ser., 234, 32 [PDF]

Shannon, M.J., Boersma, C., “Organic Molecules in Space: Insights from the NASA Ames Molecular Database in the Era of the James Webb Space Telescope”, 2018, in Proceedings of the 17th Python in Science Conference, eds. Akici, F., Lippa, D., Niederhut, D., Pacer, M. (SciPy 2018), 99

Boersma, C., Bregman, J., Allamandola, L.J., “The Charge State of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons Across Reflection Nebulae: PAH Charge Balance and Calibration”, 2016, Astrophys. J., 832, 51

Andrews, H., Boersma, C., Werner, M.W., Livingston, J., Allamandola, L.J., Tielens, A.G.G.M., “PAH Emission at the Bright Locations of PDRs: the grandPAH Hypothesis”, 2015, Astrophys. J., 807, 99

Boersma, C., Bregman, J., Allamandola, L.J., “Properties of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in the Northwest Photon Dominated Region of NGC 7023. III. Quantifying the Traditional Proxy for PAH Charge and Assessing its Role”, 2015, Astrophys. J., 806, 121

Stock, D.J., Wolfire, M.G., Peeters, E., Tielens, A.G.G.M., Vandenbussche, B., Boersma, C., Cami, J., “Herschel PACS and SPIRE spectroscopy of the photodissociation regions associated with S 106 and IRAS 23133+6050”, 2015, Astron. Astrophys., 579, A67

Boersma, C., Bregman, J., Allamandola, L.J., “Properties of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in the Northwest Photon Dominated Region of NGC 7023. II. Traditional PAH Analysis Using k-means as a Visualization Tool”, 2014, Astrophys. J., 795, 110

Rosenberg, M.J.F., Berné, O., Boersma, C., “Random Mixtures of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Spectra Match Interstellar Infrared Emission”, 2014, Astron. Astrophys. Letters, 566, L4

Boersma, C., Bauschlicher, C.W., Ricca, A., Mattioda, A.L., Cami, J., Peeters, E., Sánchez de Armas, F., Puerta Saborido, G., Hudgins, D.M., Allamandola, L.J., “The NASA Ames PAH IR Spectroscopic Database Version 2.00: Updated Content, Web Site, and On(Off)line Tools”, 2014, Astrophys. J. Suppl. Ser., 211, 8

López-Puertas, M., Dinelli, B.M., Adriani, A., Funke, B., García-Comas, M., Moriconi, M.L., D’Aversa, E., Boersma, C., Allamandola, L.J., “Large Abundances of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Titan’s Upper Atmosphere”, 2013, Astrophys. J., 770, 132

Boersma, C., Bregman, J., Allamandola, L.J., “Properties of PAHs In The Northwest PDR of NGC 7023 I: PAH Size, Charge, Composition and Structure”, 2013, Astrophys. J., 769, 117

Ricca, A., Bauschlicher, C.W., Boersma, C., Tielens, A.G.G.M., Allamandola, L.J., “The Infrared Spectroscopy of Compact Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons Containing up to 384 Carbons”, 2012, Astrophys. J., 754, 75

Tappe, A., Rho, J., Boersma, C., Micelotta, E.R., “Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Processing in the Blast Wave of the Supernova Remnant N132D”, 2012, Astrophys. J., 754, 132

Boersma, C., Rubin, R.H., Allamandola, L.J., “Spatial Analysis of the Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Features Southeast of the Orion Bar”, 2012, Astrophys. J., 753, 168

Boersma, C., Bauschlicher, C.W., Ricca, A., Mattioda, A.L., Peeters, E., Allamandola, L.J., Tielens, A.G.G.M., “Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon far-infrared spectroscopy”, 2011, Astrophys. J., 729, 64 [PDF]

Rosenberg, M.J.F., Berné, O., Boersma, C., Allamandola, L.J., Tielens, A.G.G.M., “Coupled blind signal separation and spectroscopic database fitting of the mid infrared PAH features”, 2011, Astron. Astrophys., 532, A128

Boersma, C., Allamandola, L.J., Bauschlicher, C.W., Ricca, A., Cami, J., Peeters, E., Sánchez de Armas, F., Puerta Saborido, G., Hudgins, D.M., Mattioda, A.L., Hudgins, D.M., “The NASA Ames PAH IR Spectroscopic Database and the Far-IR”, 2011, in PAHs and the Universe, EAS Publications Series, Volume 46, eds. Joblin, C., Tielens, A.G.G.M. (EDP Sciences), 109

Ricca, A., Bauschlicher, C.W., Mattioda, A.L., Boersma, C., Allamandola, L.J., “The Far-Infrared Spectroscopy of Very Large Neutral Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons”, 2010, Astrophys. J., 709, 42

Boersma, C., Bauschlicher, Jr., C.W., Allamandola, L.J., Ricca, A., Peeters, E., Tielens, A.G.G.M., “The 15-20 μm PAH emission features: probes of individual PAHs?”, 2010, Astron. Astrophys., 511, A32

Bauschlicher, C.W., Boersma, C., Ricca, A., Mattioda, A.L., Cami, J., Peeters, E., Sánchez de Armas, F., Puerta Saborido, G., Hudgins, D.M., Allamandola, L.J., “The NASA Ames PAH IR Spectroscopic Database: The Computed Spectra”, 2010, Astrophys. J. Suppl. Ser., 189, 341 [PDF]

Boersma, C., Peeters, E., Martín-Hernández, N.L., van der Wolk, G., Verhoeff, A.P., Tielens, A.G.G.M., Waters, L.B.F.M., Pel, J.W., “A spatial study of the mid-IR emission features in four Herbig Ae/Be stars”, 2009, Astron. Astrophys., 502, 175

Boersma, C., “Infrared emission features: probing the interstellar PAH population and circumstellar environment of Herbig Ae/Be stars”, 2009, Doctoral Dissertation, University of Groningen, The Netherlands

Boersma, C., Bouwman, J., Lahuis, F., van Kerckhoven, C., Tielens, A.G.G.M., Waters, L.B.F.M., Henning, T., “The characteristics of the IR emission features in the spectra of Herbig Ae stars: evidence for chemical evolution”, 2008, Astron. Astrophys., 484, 241

Boersma, C., Hony, S., Tielens, A.G.G.M., “UIR bands in the ISO SWS spectrum of the carbon star TU Tauri”, 2006, Astron. Astrophys., 447, 213

Select Accepted Proposals

Deputy Lead, NASA Directed Work Package “The NASA Ames Laboratory Astrophysics Work Package” (22-A22ISFM-0009; 2022)

Co-I, NASA Exobiology Program “Looking for a Biotic Needle in a Kerogen Haystack” (2022; 21-EXO21-0056)

Co-I, NASA Grant and Cooperative Agreement “Astronomical Infrared Bands as Calibrated Probes of Astrophysical Conditions in the JWST‐era with The NASA Ames PAH IR Spectroscopic Database” (2022; 80NSSC22M0107)

PI, The James Webb Space Telescope, “NIRSpec IFU: Deuterated PAHs, PAH-nitriles, and PAH Overtone and Combination Bands” (2021; ID: 1591)

NASA Directed Work Package “Laboratory Astrophysics – The NASA Ames PAH IR Spectroscopic Database” (2018)

Co-I, NASA Emerging World Program “Chemical and Physical processing in the Solar Nebula” (2018; 17-EW17_2-0170)

Core Team Member (Extended), JWST Early Release Science (ERS), “Radiative Feedback from Massive Stars as Traced by Multiband Imaging and Spectroscopic Mosaics” (2017; ID: 1288).

Co-I, NASA Grant and Cooperative Agreement “Using the Astronomical Infrared Bands as Calibrated Probes of Astrophysical Conditions Using The NASA Ames PAH IR Spectroscopic Database” (2017; NNX17AJ88A)

Co-I, NASA Astrophysics Data Analysis Program “Quantifying the PAH Size Distribution in H ii-regions” (2016; 16ADAP160213)

Collaborator, NASA Astrobiology Institute (NAI) Can-7 “The Evolution of Prebiotic Chemical Complexity and the Organic Inventory of Protoplanetary Disks and Primordial Planets” (2014; NNH13ZDA017C)

PI, NASA Astrophysics Data Analysis Program “Developing the Infrared PAH Emission Bands Into Calibrated Probes of Astrophysical Conditions with The NASA Ames PAH IR Spectroscopic Database” (2014; NNH14ZDA001N)

Co-I, NASA Grant and Cooperative Agreement “Developing the Infrared PAH Emission Bands Into Calibrated Probes of Astrophysical Conditions with The NASA Ames PAH IR Spectroscopic Database” (2014; NNX14AG80A)

Co-I, NASA Astrophysics Data Analysis Program “Developing PAHs as probes of physical conditions: Fitting PAH spectra with the Ames PAH IR Spectral Database” (2012; NNH12ZDA001N)

Co-I, NASA’s Laboratory Astrophysics, “Carbon in the Galaxy” consortium (2011; NNH10ZDA001N)

Collaborator, NASA Astrobiology Institute (NAI) Can-5 “Early Habitable Environments and the Evolution of Complexity” (2009; NNH08ZDA002C)

NASA Postdoctoral Program Fellowship Award (2009)

NASA Missions and Selected Proposals

IRAS, ISO, Cassini, Spitzer, Herschel, SOFIA, JWST

Collaborator, JWST Early Release Science (ERS), “Radiative Feedback from Massive Stars as Traced by Multiband Imaging and Spectroscopic Mosaics” (2017; ID: 1288).

Co-I, NASA Astrophysics Data Analysis Program “Quantifying the PAH Size Distribution in H ii-regions” (2016; 16ADAP160213).

Co-I, NASA Astrophysics Data Analysis Program “Developing PAHs as probes of physical conditions: Fitting PAH spectra with the Ames PAH IR Spectral Database” (2012; NNH12ZDA001N).

Co-I, NASA’s Laboratory Astrophysics, “Carbon in the Galaxy” consortium (2011; NNH10ZDA001N).

Collaborator, NASA Astrobiology Institute (NAI) Can-5 “Early Habitable Environments and the Evolution of Complexity” (2009; NNH08ZDA002C).

NASA Postdoctoral Program Fellowship Award (2009).

NASA Missions: ISO, Spitzer, SOFIA, JWST