Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy
Scientific paper
Mar 2008
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2008sptz.prop50809k&link_type=abstract
Spitzer Proposal ID #50809
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astronomy
Scientific paper
The key chemical reactions that produce the first generation ice mantles in dense molecular clouds are still poorly known. Within cold, dense clouds, species formed in the gas and on the grain surfaces will stick to the grains and form icy mantles. However, during star-formation, materials in the general cloud medium are subjected to numerous chemical and physical processes that are driven mostly by thermal and energetic radiation. The comparison between background stars and protostars is a proven excellent tool for this purpose. By comparing observed interstellar solid state abundances with models of grain surface chemistry it is possible to elucidate the efficiency and hence relevancy of a number of chemical reactions, in particular the CO_2 formation pathways. In part because of Spitzer, significant progress has been made towards understanding the various effects of these radiation processes on the ices around a large sample of high- and low-mass protostars. First results suggest that two different CO2 formation pathways play a role in these harsh environments. Though which reaction initially dominated the chemistry is unknown due to the numerous physical processes. Unfortunately, only a small sample of background field stars have been observed, most notably Taurus. In Taurus, only one reaction pathway appears to be efficient in quiescent regions, but this result is sample limited. We propose to take low resolution spectra from 5 to 22 microns along the line of sight toward 31 field stars behind the LDN 673 molecular cloud. Differences in near-IR ice chemistry have already been observed and we will use these mid-infrared data to provide more stringent constraints on chemical models of grain surface chemistry. With this sample it is possible to address fundamental questions in astrochemistry: what are the dominant grain surface chemistry pathways? What is the composition of the first generation ice mantles in molecular clouds?
Boogert Adwin
Keane Jacqueline
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