Related papers: Trans-cis molecular photoswitching in interstellar…
The solar system is moving through the partially ionized local interstellar cloud (LIC). The ionized matter of the LIC interacts with the expanding solar wind forming the heliospheric interface. The neutral component (interstellar atoms)…
Photodissociation is the dominant removal process of molecules in any region exposed to intense ultraviolet (UV) radiation. This includes diffuse and translucent interstellar clouds, dense photon-dominated regions, high velocity shocks, the…
The hydroxyl radical (OH) is found in various environments within the interstellar medium (ISM) of the Milky Way and external galaxies, mostly either in diffuse interstellar clouds or in the warm, dense environments of newly formed low-mass…
We present three-dimensional astrochemical simulations and synthetic observations of magnetised, turbulent, self-gravitating molecular clouds. We explore various galactic interstellar medium environments, including cosmic-ray ionization…
The photodynamic properties of molecules determine their ability to survive in harsh radiation environments. As such, the photostability of heterocyclic aromatic compounds to electromagnetic radiation is expected to have been one of the…
The recent detections of thioformyl cyanide (HCSCN) and propynethial (HCSCCH) in TMC-1 provide critical insights into the interstellar sulfur inventory, yet their sequestration and survivability on dust grain mantles remain poorly…
In this review, I discuss recent detailed studies of individual molecular clouds in M33 in higher rotational transitions of CO, 13CO, and the fine structure line of atomic carbon. These data reveal that the temperature and density of the…
We present models for the chemistry in gas moving towards the ionization front of an HII region. When it is far from the ionization front, the gas is highly depleted of elements more massive than helium. However, as it approaches the…
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…
Photodissociation by ultraviolet radiation is the key destruction pathway for CS in photon-dominated regions, such as diffuse clouds. However, the large uncertainties of photodissociation cross sections and rates of CS, resulting from a…
The mass of molecular gas in an interstellar cloud is often measured using line emission from low rotational levels of CO, which are sensitive to the CO mass, and then scaling to the assumed molecular hydrogen H_2 mass. However, a…
CO$_2$ is a major component of the icy mantles surrounding dust grains in planet and star formation regions. Understanding its photodesorption is crucial for explaining gas phase abundances in the coldest environments of the interstellar…
Currently ~36 different absorption bands have been detected in the infrared spectra of cold, dense interstellar and circumstellar environments. These are attributed to the vibrational transitions of ~17 different molecules frozen on dust…
CO2 ice is one of the most abundant components in ice-coated interstellar ices besides H2O and CO, but the most favorable path to CO2 ice is still unclear. Molecular dynamics calculations on the ultraviolet photodissociation of different…
Refractory organic compounds formed in molecular clouds are among the building blocks of the solar system objects and could be the precursors of organic matter found in primitive meteorites and cometary materials. However, little is known…
We consider the model of the optical switching center - a system with the following properties: It has two (or more) metastable states |1>, |2>, separated by a potential barrier U; it can switch from one state to another by absorbing the…
UV-induced photodesorption of ice is a non-thermal evaporation process that can explain the presence of cold molecular gas in a range of interstellar regions. Information on the average UV photodesorption yield of astrophysically important…
The majority of hydrogen in the interstellar medium (ISM) is in atomic form. The transition from atoms to molecules and, in particular, the formation of the H$_2$ molecule, is a key step in cosmic structure formation en route to stars.…
The transition between atomic and molecular hydrogen is associated with important changes in the structure of interstellar clouds, and marks the beginning of interstellar chemistry. Because of the relatively simple networks controlling…
The VUV absorption cross sections of most molecular solids present in interstellar ice mantles with the exception of H2O, NH3, and CO2 have not been reported yet. Models of ice photoprocessing depend on the VUV absorption cross section of…