Related papers: Molecular hydrogen formation in the interstellar m…
H2 is the simplest and the most abundant molecule in the ISM, and its formation precedes the formation of other molecules. Understanding the dynamical influence of the environment and the interplay between the thermal processes related to…
We introduce a sub-grid model for the non-equilibrium abundance of molecular hydrogen in cosmological simulations of galaxy formation. We improve upon previous work by accounting for the unresolved structure of molecular clouds in a…
Hydrogen sulfide (H$_2$S) is thought to be efficiently formed on grain surfaces through the successive hydrogenation of S atoms. Its non-detection so far in astronomical observations of icy dust mantles thus indicates that effective…
Gas-grain and gas-phase reactions dominate the formation of molecules in the interstellar medium (ISM). Gas-grain reactions require a substrate (e.g. a dust or ice grain) on which the reaction is able to occur. The formation of molecular…
In the coldest (10--20 K) regions of the interstellar medium, the icy surfaces of interstellar grains serve as solid-state supports for chemical reactions. Among their plausible roles, that of third body is advocated, in which the reaction…
H2 formation is an important process in post-shock regions, since H2 is an active participant in the cooling and shielding of the environment. The onset of H2 formation therefore has a strong effect on the temperature and chemical evolution…
There is accumulating evidence for the presence of complex molecules, including carbon-bearing and organic molecules, in the interstellar medium. Much of this evidence comes to us from studies of chemical composition, photo- and…
The physical and chemical conditions in photodissociation regions (PDRs) are largely determined by the influence of far ultraviolet radiation. Far-UV photons can efficiently dissociate molecular hydrogen, a process that must be balanced at…
Recent experimental results on the formation of molecular hydrogen on astrophysically relevant surfaces under conditions similar to those encountered in the interstellar medium provided useful quantitative information about these processes.…
Investigating how formamide forms in the interstellar medium is a hot topic in astrochemistry, which can contribute to our understanding of the origin of life on Earth. We have constructed a QM/MM model to simulate the hydrogenation of…
Ice chemistry in the dense, cold interstellar medium (ISM) is probably responsible for the formation of interstellar complex organic molecules (COMs). Recent laboratory experiments performed at T=4 K have shown that irradiation of CO:N2 ice…
We investigate the formation of the recently detected HNSO molecule using quantum chemical calculations on ices and astrochemical models in tandem. Our results indicate that HNSO is efficiently produced on grain surfaces through reactions…
We study the connection of star formation to atomic (HI) and molecular hydrogen (H$_2$) in isolated, low metallicity dwarf galaxies with high-resolution ($m_{\rm gas}$ = 4 M$_\odot$, $N_{\rm ngb}$ = 100) SPH simulations. The model includes…
Water is abundantly present in the Universe. It is the main component of interstellar ice mantles and a key ingredient for life. Water in space is mainly formed through surface reactions. Three formation routes have been proposed in the…
This study focuses on the formation of two molecules of astrobiological importance - glycolaldehyde (HC(O)CH2OH) and ethylene glycol (H2C(OH)CH2OH) - by surface hydrogenation of CO molecules. Our experiments aim at simulating the CO…
Context: Molecular hydrogen ($\rm{H_2}$) is crucial in galaxy formation and evolution, serving as the main fuel for star formation (SF). In metal-enriched environments, $\rm{H_2}$ primarily forms on interstellar dust grain surfaces.…
The formation of methanol (CH3OH) on icy grain mantles during the star formation cycle is mainly associated with the CO freeze-out stage. Yet there are reasons to believe that CH3OH also can form at an earlier period of interstellar ice…
Motivated by the observed connection between molecular hydrogen (H2) and star formation, we present a method for tracking the non-equilibrium abundance and cooling processes of H2 and H2-based star formation in Smoothed Particle…
Silicon is present in interstellar dust grains, meteorites and asteroids, and to date thirteen silicon-bearing molecules have been detected in the gas-phase towards late-type stars or molecular clouds, including silane and silane…
The knowledge of the binding energy of molecules on astrophysically relevant ices can help to obtain an estimate of the desorption rate, i.e. the molecules residence time on the surface. This represents an important parameter for…