Computational Astrochemistry: importance, pitfalls and applications

Astrochemistry is currently in its golden age thanks to the huge amount of data that single-dish and interferometric telescopes like APEX and ALMA are providing. To allow for a better comparison and interpretation of the observational data it is indispensable to make a noteworthy effort also on the theoretical/computational side. State-of-the-art astrochemical models are a powerful tool for the interpretation of observational signatures and allow to probe the physical conditions of star-forming regions, providing a unique window to understand how these regions are formed and evolved. However, including microphysics and chemistry in computationally intensive hydrodynamical simulations requires detailed information and knowledge of the basic chemical processes. This, together with the wide range of involved spatial and temporal scales in astrophysics, leads to a computationally expensive problem. We introduce here the advantages and pitfalls of astrochemical models, and show some important application.