Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics
Scientific paper
2003-12-22
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
18 pages, 7 figures. To appear in "Carnegie Observatories Astrophysics Series, Vol. 4: Origin and Distribution of the Elements
Scientific paper
In the interstellar medium of the Milky Way, certain elements -- e.g., Mg, Si, Al, Ca, Ti, Fe -- reside predominantly in interstellar dust grains. These grains absorb, scatter, and emit electromagnetic radiation, heat the interstellar medium by photoelectric emission, play a role in the ionization balance of the gas, and catalyze the formation of molecules, particularly H2. I review the state of our knowledge of the composition and sizes of interstellar grains, including what we can learn from spectral features, luminescence, scattering, infrared emission, and observed gas-phase depletions. The total grain volume in dust models which reproduce interstellar extinction is significantly greater than estimated from observed depletions. Dust grains might reduce the gas-phase D/H ratio, providing an alternative mechanism to explain observed variations in the gas-phase D/H ratio in the local interstellar medium. Transport in dust grains could cause elemental abundances in newly-formed stars to differ from interstellar abundances.
No associations
LandOfFree
Interstellar Dust does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.
If you have personal experience with Interstellar Dust, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Interstellar Dust will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-322640