The temperature of interstellar iron grains

Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics

Scientific paper

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Catalytic Activity, Free Electrons, Interstellar Matter, Iron, Meteoroid Dust Clouds, Temperature Effects, Activation Energy, Interstellar Radiation, Photoabsorption, Radiation Absorption

Scientific paper

The temperature that a spherical iron grain will attain under equilibrium conditions in interstellar space is determined using a technique that involves application of the free-electron theory of metals to calculate the refractive indices of iron. Equilibrium grain temperatures of 133 to 110 K are obtained for particle sizes in the range from 14.1 to 1410.0 A. It is noted that the computed equilibrium temperatures of small iron grains are approximately an order of magnitude higher than those of dielectrics, mainly because metals absorb visible and UV light from the interstellar radiation field very efficiently while dielectrics do not. The results are shown to indicate that small metal grains probably will not acquire a mantle of frozen gases except in fairly dense dust clouds where the extinction of starlight exceeds 5.0 magnitudes in the visible region.

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