Related papers: Efficient ortho-para conversion of H2 on interstel…
We investigate the evolution of the ortho-to-para ratio of overall (gas + ice) H$_2$ via the nuclear spin conversion on grain surfaces coated with water ice under physical conditions that are relevant to star- and planet-forming regions. We…
We investigate how the H$_2$ ortho-to-para ratio (OPR) and dueterium fractionation in star-forming regions are affected by nuclear spin conversion (NSC) on dust grains. Particular focus is placed on the rotational energy difference between…
Deuterium fractionation, i.e. the enhancement of deuterated species with respect to the non-deuterated ones, is considered to be a reliable chemical clock of star-forming regions. This process is strongly affected by the ortho-to-para (o-p)…
Recent laboratory experiments on interstellar dust analogues have shown that H_2 formation on dust grain surfaces is efficient in a range of grain temperatures below 20 K. These results indicate that surface processes may account for the…
The H2 molecule has two nuclear spin isomers, the so-called ortho and para isomers. Nuclear spin conversion (NSC) between these states is forbidden in the gas phase. The energy difference between the lowest ortho and para states is as large…
We discuss the ratio of ortho- to para-H2 in photodissociation regions (PDRs). We draw attention to an apparent confusion in the literature between the ortho-to-para ratio of molecules in FUV-pumped vibrationally excited states, and the H2…
The $\mathrm{H}_2$ formation on grains is known to be sensitive to dust temperature, which is also known to fluctuate for small grain sizes due to photon absorption. We aim at exploring the consequences of simultaneous fluctuations of the…
We report in this review recent fully-quantum time-independent calculations of cross sections and rate constants for the gas phase ortho-to-para conversion of H$_2$ by H and H$^+$. Such processes are of crucial interest and importance in…
The recombination of hydrogen in the interstellar medium, taking place on surfaces of microscopic dust grains, is an essential process in the evolution of chemical complexity in interstellar clouds. The H_2 formation process has been…
Despite the low elemental deuterium abundance in the Galaxy, enhanced molecular D/H ratios have been found in the environments of low-mass star forming regions, and in particular the Class 0 protostar IRAS 16293-2422. The CHESS (Chemical…
Based on recent $Herschel$ results, the ortho-to-para ratio (OPR) of NH$_2$ has been measured towards the following high-mass star-forming regions: W31C (G10.6-0.4), W49N (G43.2-0.1), W51 (G49.5-0.4), and G34.3+0.1. The OPR at thermal…
Hydrogen molecules (H2) come in two forms in the interstellar medium, ortho- and para-hydrogen, corresponding to the two different spin configurations of the two hydrogen atoms. The relative abundances of the two flavours in the…
Context. The formation of water on the dust grains in the interstellar medium may proceed with hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) as an intermediate. Recently gas-phase H2O2 has been detected in {\rho} Oph A with an abundance of ~1E-10 relative to…
We revised the treatment of interstellar dust in the KOSMA-\tau\ PDR model code to achieve a consistent description of the dust-related physics in the code. The detailed knowledge of the dust properties is then used to compute the dust…
Context: The HD and H2 molecules play important roles in the cooling of primordial and very metal-poor gas at high redshift. Aims: Grain surface and gas phase formation of HD and H2 is investigated to assess the importance of trace amounts…
Aims: The production of molecular hydrogen and its deuterated forms onto carbonaceous dust grains is investigated in detail. The goal of this study is to estimate the importance of the chemistry occuring on grain surfaces for the…
Unlike gas-phase reactions, chemical reactions taking place on interstellar dust grain surfaces cannot always be modeled by rate equations. Due to the small grain sizes and low flux,these reactions may exhibit large fluctuations and thus…
The formation of molecular hydrogen in the interstellar medium takes place on the surfaces of dust grains. Hydrogen molecules play a role in gas-phase reactions that produce other molecules, some of which serve as coolants during…
Aims. Interstellar dust grains, because of their catalytic properties, are crucial to the formation of H2, the most abundant molecule in the Universe. The formation of molecular hydrogen strongly depends on the ability of H atoms to stick…
We combine recent ISO observations of the vibrational ground state lines of H2 towards Photon-Dominated Regions (PDRs) with observations of vibrationally excited states made with ground-based telescopes in order to constrain the formation…