Equilibrium temperatures of interstellar iron grains

Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics

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Interstellar Chemistry, Interstellar Matter, Iron, Molecular Clouds, Temperature Dependence, Catalysis, Optical Properties, Particle Size Distribution, Steady State

Scientific paper

Because of the relatively low number densities found in typical interstellar clouds, molecules observed there must be produced by a combination of both two-body gas-phase reactions and surface reactions. The latter type includes various catalytic reactions, such as the formation of H2 on transition metal grains. These reactions are very temperature dependent. Because of the small heat capacities of the grains due to their small sizes, they may be subject to considerable fluctuations in temperature. This problem is examined for iron grains and found to be minimal for sizes greater than 100 Å. Steady-state equilibrium temperatures are then calculated for a size distribution of iron particles ranging from 103 to 109 atoms per grain by a refined method of an earlier work by one of the authors. The results are that iron grain temperatures are significantly greater than those of dielectric grains of comparable size in the same radiation field.

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