Related papers: Nanodust in the Interstellar Medium in Comparison …
Dust destruction by supernovae is one of the main processes removing dust from the interstellar medium (ISM). Estimates of the efficiency of this process, both theoretical and observational, typically assume a shock propagating into a…
Astrochemistry aims at studying chemical processes in astronomical environments. This discipline -- located at the crossroad between astrophysics and chemistry -- is rapidly evolving and explores the issue of the formation of molecules of…
The spectral energy distribution of quasars shows a sharp steepening of the continuum shortward of ~ 1100 A. The steepening could be a result of dust absorption. We present a dust extinction model which considers crystalline carbon grains…
Intergalactic space is filled with a pervasive medium of ionized gas, the Intergalactic Medium (IGM). A residual neutral fraction is detected in the spectra of Quasi-Stellar Objects at both low and high redshifts, revealing a highly…
Interstellar hydrides -- that is, molecules containing a single heavy element atom with one or more hydrogen atoms -- were among the first molecules detected outside the solar system. They lie at the root of interstellar chemistry, being…
The content of interstellar clouds, in particular the inventory of diffuse molecular gas, remains uncertain. We identified a sample of isolated clouds, approximately 100 solar masses in size, and used the dust content to estimate the total…
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…
Cosmic rays are able to heat interstellar dust grains. This may enhance molecule mobility in icy mantles that have accumulated on the grains in dark cloud cores. A three-phase astrochemical model was used to investigate the molecule…
Dust is a key component of the Universe, especially regarding galaxies evolution, playing an essential role for both the physics and chemistry of the interstellar medium. In this paper, we give a brief review of interstellar dust. We…
The possible detection of C_{24}, a planar graphene, recently reported in several planetary nebulae by Garciaa-Hernandez et al. (2011, 2012) inspires us to explore whether and how much graphene could exist in the interstellar medium (ISM)…
In this investigation, we present an analysis of the metallicity distribution that pertains to neutral gas in the local Galactic interstellar medium (ISM). We derive relative ISM metallicities for a sample of 84 sight lines probing diffuse…
In this study, we explore the impact of inhomogeneities in the spatial distribution of interstellar dust on spatial scales of $\le1$ au caused by ion shadowing forces on the optical properties of diffuse interstellar medium (ISM) as well as…
Laboratory astrochemistry aims at simulating in the laboratory some of the chemical and physical processes that operate in different regions of the Universe. Amongst the diverse astrochemical problems that can be addressed in the…
Surface processes on cosmic solids in cold astrophysical environments lead to gas phase depletion and molecular complexity. Most astrophysical models assume that the molecular ice forms a thick multilayer substrate, not interacting with the…
Protoplanetary disks are dynamic objects, within which dust grains and gas are expected to be redistributed over large distances. Evidence for this redistribution is seen both in other protoplanetary disks and in our own Solar System, with…
New research is presented, and previous research is reviewed, on the emission and absorption of interstellar aromatic hydrocarbons. Emission from aromatic hydrocarbons dominate the mid-infrared emission of many galaxies, including our own…
The formation and growth of refractory matter on pre-existing interstellar dust grain surfaces was studied experimentally by annealing neon-ice matrices in which potential precursors of silicate grains (Mg and Fe atoms, SiO and SiO$_2$…
We show that space-based telescopes such as the proposed Terrestrial Planet Finder Coronagraph will be able to detect the light scattered by the interstellar grains along lines of sight passing near stars in our Galaxy. The relative flux of…
Grain growth during star formation affects the physical and chemical processes in the evolution of star-forming clouds. We investigate the origin of the millimeter (mm)-sized grains recently observed in Class I protostellar envelopes. We…
In this analysis we illustrate how the relatively new emission mechanism known as spinning dust can be used to characterize dust grains in the interstellar medium. We demonstrate this by using spinning dust emission observations to…