Associative ionization processes within interstellar clouds

Details Associative ionization processes within interstellar clouds Associative ionization processes within interstellar clouds

Nov 1994

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1994apj...436..411p&link_type=abstract

Astrophysical Journal, Part 1 (ISSN 0004-367X), vol. 436, no. 1, p. 411-417

Other

4

Abundance, Astronomical Models, Endothermic Reactions, Exothermic Reactions, Interstellar Matter, Ionization, Molecular Interactions, Statistical Correlation, Astronomical Photometry, Astronomical Spectroscopy, Interstellar Chemistry

Scientific paper

Several exothermic associative ionization (AI) processes involving atoms or diatomic radicals are considered as sources of molecular ions and neutrals within diffuse and dense interstellar clouds. Most of the exothermic AI reactions identified are of the form M + O yields MO(+) + e, where M is a transition or rare-earth metal atom. Of those transition metals for which the AI reaction M + O is calculated to be exothermic, Ti has the largest cosmic abundance by more than one order of magnitude. However, the associative ionization of Ti + O may well be endothermic, in which case IS abundances of the ions ScO(+) and ZrO(+) (fomed in significantly exothermic AI reactions) may exceed that of TiO(+). An examination of the energetics governing formation and loss processes for MO(+) and MO suggests that scandium- and zirconium-containing MO and MO(+) are likely to be more reliable indicators of IS transition metal depletion than are species containing titanium, and search strategies reflecting this possibility are recommended. Prospects for the detection of ZrO or ZrO(+), especially, are substantially enhanced by the comparative paucity of loss processes for these species. Since many other metal monoxide ions are expected to be removed effectively by reaction with atomic carbon, prospects for their detection in O-rich environment appears significantly better than in C-rich regions.

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