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Photopocessing and Spectroscopy Laboratory

PPS lab uses systems that are equipped with a closed-cycle helium cryostat to mimic the environment(low temperature and pressure) of outer space. We will deposit molecules such as CO, CO2, CH4... etc. onto the substrate to simulate the ice analogs in the cold dense clouds and interstellar medium, and try to use different energy sources: VUV, x-rays, and electrons to observe the photophysics and photochemistry.

13CO and 13CO2 ice mixtures with N2 in photon energy transfer studies

This work aims to understand the behavior of 13CO:N2 and 13CO2:N2 ice mixtures submitted to UV radiation in the laboratory. Photochemical processes and photodesorption were studied for various ratios of the ice components. In irradiated 13CO2:N2 ice mixtures, 13CO, 13CO2, 13CO3, O2, and O3 photoproducts were detected in the IR spectra. N2 also take part in the photochemistry, and N-bearing molecules were also detected: NO, NO2, N2O, and N2O4. Photodesorption rates and their dependence on the presence of N2 were also studied. As it was previously reported, 13CO and 13CO2 can transfer photon energy to N2 molecules. As a result, 13CO and 13CO2 photodesorption rates decrease as the fraction of N2 increases, while N2 photodesorption is enhanced with respect to the low UV-absorbing pure N2 ice.

Photopocessing and Spectroscopy Laboratory

13CO and 13CO2 ice mixtures with N2 in photon energy transfer studies

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