The motivation to study experimentally CO ice under mimicked interstellar conditions is supported by the large CO gas abundances and ubiquitous presence of CO in icy grain mantles. Upon irradiation in its pure ice form, this highly stable species presents a limited ion and photon-induced chemistry, and an efficient non-thermal desorption. Using infrared spectroscopy, single laser interference, and quadrupole mass spectrometry during CO ice deposition, the CO ice density was estimated as a function of deposition temperature. Only minor variations in the density were found. The proposed methodology can be used to obtain the density of other ice components at various deposition temperatures provided that this value of the density is known for one of these temperatures, which is typically the temperature corresponding to the crystalline form. The apparent tendency of the CO ice density to decrease at deposition temperatures below 14 K is in line with recently published colorimetric measurements. This work allowed to revisit the value of the infrared band strength needed for calculation of the CO ice column density in infrared observations, $8.7 \times 10^{-18} ~ {\rm cm ~ molecule}^{-1}$ at 20 K deposition temperature.
Pure CO ice has been irradiated with electrons of energy in the range $150-1000$~eV with the Interstellar Energetic-Process System (IEPS). The main products of irradiation are carbon chains C$_n$ ($n=3$, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12), suboxides, C$_n$O ($n=2$, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7), and C$_n$O$_2$ ($n=1$, 3, 4, 5, 7) species. \ce{CO2} is by far the most abundant reaction product in all the experiments. The destruction cross-section of CO peaks at about 250 eV, decreases with the energy of the electrons and is more than one order of magnitude higher than for gas-phase CO ionization. The production cross-sec…
The need to characterize ices coating dust grains in dense interstellar clouds arises from the importance of ice morphology in facilitating the diffusion and storage of radicals and reaction products in ices, a well-known place for the formation of complex molecules. Yet, there is considerable uncertainty about the structure of ISM ices, their ability to store volatiles and under what conditions. We measured the infrared absorption spectra of CO on the pore surface of porous amorphous solid water (ASW), and quantified the effective pore surface area of ASW. Additionally, we present results obt…
Interstellar ices are layers of molecules deposited on !ne dust grains in dark and dense molecular cloud cores. Subsurface ice has been considered in a few astrochemical models, which have shown that it can be of great importance. The aim of this work is to introduce an established subsurface ice description into the state-of-the-art astrochemical model ALCHEMIC. The model has been developed by the Heidelberg astrochemistry group. The result is an up-to-date model for interstellar molecular cloud research with possible application for protoplanetary disks.
Context. The molecular composition of interstellar ice mantles is defined by gas-grain processes in molecular clouds, with the main components being $H_2O$, $CO$, and $CO_2$. $CH_3OH$ ice is detected towards the denser regions, where large amounts of $CO$ freeze out and get hydrogenated. Heating from nearby protostars can further change the ice structure and composition. Despite the several observations of icy features towards molecular clouds and along the line of site of protostars, it is not yet clear if interstellar ices are mixed or if they have a layered structure. Aims. We aim to examin…
A new experimental set-up INterStellar Ice-Dust Experiment (INSIDE), was designed for studying cosmic grain analogues represented by ice-coated carbon- and silicate-based dust grains. In the new instrument, we can simulate physical and chemical conditions prevailing in interstellar and circumstellar environments. The set-up combines ultrahigh vacuum and low temperature conditions with infrared spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. Using INSIDE, we plan to investigate physical and chemical processes, such as adsorption, desorption, and formation of molecules, on the surface of dust/ice samples. F…
The first off-lattice Monte Carlo kinetics model of interstellar dust-grain surface chemistry is presented. The positions of all surface particles are determined explicitly, according to the local potential minima resulting from the pair-wise interactions of contiguous atoms and molecules, rather than by a pre-defined lattice structure. The model is capable of simulating chemical kinetics on any arbitrary dust-grain morphology, as determined by the user-defined positions of each individual dust-grain atom. A simple method is devised for the determination of the most likely diffusion pathways a…
Two different silicate/water ice mixtures representing laboratory analogues of interstellar and circumstellar icy grains were produced in the laboratory. For the first time, optical constants, the real and imaginary parts of the complex refractive index, of such silicate/water ice mixtures were experimentally determined in the mid-infrared spectral region at low temperatures. In addition, optical constants of pure water ice and pure silicates were derived in the laboratory. Two sets of constants were compared, namely, measured constants calculated from the transmission spectra of silicate/wate…
We measure the band strengths in the far-infrared region of interstellar ice analogs of astrophysically relevant species, such as H$_2$O, CO$_2$, CH$_3$OH, and NH$_3$, deposited at low temperature (8-10 $\mathrm{K}$), followed by warm-up, to induce amorphous-crystalline phase transitions when relevant. The spectra of pure H$_2$O, NH$_3$, and CH$_3$OH ices have been measured in the near-, mid- and far-infrared spectroscopic regions using the Interstellar Astrochemistry Chamber (ISAC) ultra-high-vacuum setup. In addition, far-infrared spectra of NH$_3$ and CO$_2$ were measured using a different …
Complex organic molecules (COMs) can be produced by energetic processing of interstellar ice mantles accreted on top of dust grains. Two COMs with proposed energetic ice formation pathways are formamide and acetaldehyde. Both have been detected in Solar System comets, and in different circumstellar and interstellar environments. In this work, we study the NH2CHO and CH3CHO formation upon UV photoprocessing of CO:NH3 and CO:CH4 ice samples. The conversion from NH2 radicals to NH2CHO is 2-16 times higher than the conversion from CH3 radicals to CH3CHO under the explored experimental conditions, …
Water enhances the formation of refractory sulfur in interstellar ices
Centro de Astrobiología (CAB), INTA-CSIC（西班牙国家航空航天技术研究所-西班牙国家科学研究委员会天体生物学中心）；Departamento de Física de la Tierra y Astrofísica, Facultad de Ciencias Físicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid（马德里康普顿斯大学物理科学学院地球与天体物理学系）；Instituto de Química Física Blas Cabrera (CSIC)（西班牙国家科学研究委员会布拉斯·卡布雷拉物理化学研究所）；Department of Physics, National Central University（中原大学物理系）
Benzonitrile (c-C6H5CN) has been recently detected in cold and dense regions of the interstellar medium (ISM), where it has been used as a signpost of a rich aromatic organic chemistry that might lead to the production of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). One possible origin of this benzonitrile is interstellar ice chemistry involving benzene (c-C6H6) and nitrile molecules (organic molecules containing the -CN group). We have addressed the plausibility of this c-C6H5CN formation pathway through laboratory experiments using our new setup SPACE TIGER. The SPACE TIGER experimental setup is…
The formation of double and triple C-C bonds from the processing of pure c-C6H12 (cyclohexane) and mixed H2O:NH3:c-C6H12 (1:0.3:0.7) ices by highly-charged, and energetic ions (219 MeV O^{7+} and 632 MeV Ni^{24+}) is studied. The experiments simulate the physical chemistry induced by medium-mass and heavy-ion cosmic rays in interstellar ices analogs. The measurements were performed inside a high vacuum chamber at the heavy-ion accelerator GANIL (Grand Accelératéur National d'Ions Lourds) in Caen, France. The gas samples were deposited onto a polished CsI substrate previously cooled to 13 K. In…
This paper describes a near-UV/VIS study of a pyrene:H_2O interstellar ice analogue at 10 K using optical absorption spectroscopy. A new experimental approach makes it possible to irradiate the sample with vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) light (7-10.5 eV) while simultaneously recording spectra in the 240-1000 nm range with subsecond time resolution. Both spectroscopic and dynamic information on VUV processed ices are obtained in this way. This provides a powerful tool to follow, in-situ and in real time, the photophysical and photochemical processes induced by VUV irradiation of a polycyclic aromatic…
The modelling of molecular excitation and dissociation processes relevant to astrochemistry requires the validation of theories by comparison with data generated from laboratory experimentation. The newly commissioned Ice Chamber for Astrophysics-Astrochemistry (ICA) allows for the study of astrophysical ice analogues and their evolution when subjected to energetic processing, thus simulating the processes and alterations interstellar icy grain mantles and icy outer Solar System bodies undergo. ICA is an ultra-high vacuum compatible chamber containing a series of IR-transparent substrates upon…
The overabundance of gas molecules in the coldest regions of space point to a non-thermal desorption process. Laboratory simulations show an efficient desorption of CO ice exposed to ultraviolet radiation, known as photodesorption, which decreases for increasing ice deposition temperature. However, the understanding of this abnormal phenomenon has remained elusive. In this work we show the same phenomenon, and in particular, a dramatic drop in the photodesorption yield is observed when the deposition temperature is 19 K and higher. Also the minimum ice thickness that accounts for a constant ph…
Hexamethylentetramine has drawn a lot of attention due to its potential to produce prebiotic species. This work aims to gain a better understanding in the chemical processes concerning methylamine under astrophysically relevant conditions. In particular, this work deeps into the formation of N-heterocycles in interstellar ice analogs exposed to UV radiation, which may lead to the formation of prebiotic species. Experimental simulations of interstellar ice analogs were carried out in ISAC. ISAC is an ultra-high vacuum chamber equipped with a cryostat, where gas and vapour species are frozen for…
A prevailing theory for the interstellar production of complex organic molecules (COMs) involves formation on warm dust-grain surfaces, via the diffusion and reaction of radicals produced through grain-surface photodissociation of stable molecules. However, some gas-phase O-bearing COMs, notably acetaldehyde(CH$_3$CHO), methyl formate(CH$_3$OCHO), and dimethyl ether(CH$_3$OCH$_3$), are now observed at very low temperatures, challenging the warm scenario. Here, we introduce a selection of new non-diffusive mechanisms into an astrochemical model, to account for the failure of the standard diffus…
Interstellar complex organic molecules (COMs) are commonly observed during star formation, and are proposed to form through radical chemistry in icy grain mantles. Reactions between ions and neutral molecules in ices may provide an alternative cold channel to complexity, as ion-neutral reactions are thought to have low or even no energy barriers. Here we present a study of a the kinetics and mechanisms of a potential ion-generating acid-base reaction between NH$_{3}$ and HCOOH to form the salt NH$_{4}^{+}$HCOO$^{-}$. We observe salt growth at temperatures as low as 15K, indicating that this re…
Context. The gas and ice-grain chemistry of the pre-stellar core L1544 has been the subject of several observations and modelling studies conducted in the past years. The chemical composition of the ice mantles reflects the environmental physical changes along the temporal evolution. The investigation outcome hints at a layered structure of interstellar ices with mainly H$_2$O in the inner layers and an increasing amount of CO near the surface. The morphology of interstellar ice analogues can be investigated experimentally. Aims. This research presents a new approach of a three-dimensional fit…
Aims. This article aims to provide an alternative method of measuring the porosity of multi-phase composite ices from their refractive indices and of characterising how the abundance of a premixed contaminant (e.g., CO2) affects the porosity of water-rich ice mixtures during omni-directional deposition. Methods. We combine optical laser interference and extended effective medium approximations (EMAs) to measure the porosity of three astrophysically relevant ice mixtures: H2O:CO2=10:1, 4:1, and 2:1. Infrared spectroscopy is used as a benchmarking test of this new laboratory-based method. Result…
The hunt for formamide in interstellar ices: A toolkit of laboratory infrared spectra in astronomically relevant ice mixtures and comparisons to ISO, Spitzer, and JWST observations
High-resolution gas phase spectroscopy techniques in the microwave, millimeter-wave and terahertz spectral ranges can be used to study complex organic molecules desorbed from interstellar ice analogues surface with a high sensitivity. High-resolution gas phase spectroscopy gives unambiguous information about the molecular composition, the molecular structure, and transition frequencies needed for their detection by radio telescopes in various interstellar and circumstellar environments. The results will be useful not only for interpreting astronomical spectra and understanding astrophysical pr…
