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Register a new userRadiolysis of ammonia-containing ices by energetic, heavy and highly charged ions inside dense astrophysical environments
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S. Pilling
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Deeply inside dense molecular clouds and protostellar disks, the interstellar ices are protected from stellar energetic UV photons. However, X-rays and energetic cosmic rays can penetrate inside these regions triggering chemical reactions, molecular dissociation and evaporation processes. We present experimental studies on the interaction of heavy, highly charged and energetic ions (46 MeV Ni^13+) with ammonia-containing ices in an attempt to simulate the physical chemistry induced by heavy ion cosmic rays inside dense astrophysical environments. The measurements were performed inside a high vacuum chamber coupled to the heavy ion accelerator GANIL (Grand Accelerateur National dIons Lourds) in Caen, France.textit{In-situ} analysis is performed by a Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR) at different fluences. The averaged values for the dissociation cross section of water, ammonia and carbon monoxide due to heavy cosmic ray ion analogs are ~2x10^{-13}, 1.4x10^{-13} and 1.9x10^{-13} cm$^2$, respectively. In the presence of a typical heavy cosmic ray field, the estimated half life for the studied species is 2-3x10^6 years. The ice compaction (micropore collapse) due to heavy cosmic rays seems to be at least 3 orders of magnitude higher than the one promoted by (0.8 MeV) protons . In the case of the irradiated H2O:NH3:CO ice, the infrared spectrum at room temperature reveals five bands that were tentatively assigned to vibration modes of the zwitterionic glycine (+NH3CH2COO-).
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Laser-driven ion accelerators have the advantages of compact size, high density, and short bunch duration over conventional accelerators. Nevertheless, it is still challenging to simultaneously enhance the yield and quality of laser-driven ion beams for practical applications. Here we propose a scheme to address this challenge via the use of emerging multi-petawatt lasers and a density-modulated target. The density-modulated target permits its ions to be uniformly accelerated as a dense block by laser radiation pressure. In addition, the beam quality of the accelerated ions is remarkably improved by embedding the target in a thick enough substrate, which suppresses hot electron refluxing and thus alleviates plasma heating. Particle-in-cell simulations demonstrate that almost all ions in a solid-density plasma of a few microns can be uniformly accelerated to about 25% of the speed of light by a laser pulse at an intensity around 1022 W/cm2. The resulting dense block of energetic ions may drive fusion ignition and more generally create matter with unprecedented high energy density.
In this work, we studied the stability of the glycine molecule in the crystalline zwitterion form, known as {alpha}-glycine ($^{+}$NH$_{3}$CH$_{2}$COO$^{-}$) under action of heavy cosmic ray analogs. The experiments were conducted in a high vacuum chamber at heavy ions accelerator GANIL, in Caen, France. The samples were bombarded at two temperatures (14 K and 300 K) by $^{58}$Ni$^{11+}$ ions of 46 MeV until the final fluence of $10^{13}$ ions cm$^{-2}$. The chemical evolution of the sample was evaluated in-situ using Fourrier Transformed Infrared (FTIR) spectrometer. The bombardment at 14 K produced several daughter species such as OCN$^-$, CO, CO$_2$, and CN$^-$. The results also suggest the appearing of peptide bonds during irradiation but this must be confirmed by further experiments. The halflives of glycine in Interstellar Medium were estimated to be 7.8 $times 10^3$ years (300 K) and 2.8 $times 10^3$ years (14 K). In the Solar System the values were 8.4 $times 10^2$ years (300 K) and 3.6 $times 10^3$ years (14 K). It is believed that glycine could be present in space environments that suffered aqueous changes such as the interior of comets, meteorites and planetesimals. This molecule is present in proteins of all alive beings. So, studying its stability in these environments provides further understanding about the role of this specie in the prebiotic chemistry on Earth.
Formic acid (HCOOH) has been extensively detected in space environments, including interstellar medium (gas and grains), comets and meteorites. Such environments are often subjected to the action of ionizing agents, which may cause changes in the molecular structure, thus leading to formation of new species. Formic acid is a possible precursor of pre-biotic species, such as Glycine (NH2CH2COOH). This work investigates experimentally the physicochemical effects resulting from interaction of heavy and energetic cosmic ray analogues (46MeV 58Ni11+) in H2O:HCOOH (1:1) ice, at 15 K, in ultrahigh vacuum regime, using Fourier transform infrared spectrometry in the mid-infrared region (4000-600 cm-1 or 2.5-12.5 microns). After the bombardment, the sample was slowly heated to room temperature. The results show the dissociation cross-section for the formic acid of 2.4x10^-13 cm2, and half-life due to galactic cosmic rays of 8x10^7 yr. The IR spectra show intense formation of CO and CO2, and small production of more complex species at high fluences.
2-aminooxazole (2AO), a N-heterocyclic molecule, has been proposed as an intermediate in prebiotic syntheses. It has been demonstrated that it can be synthesized from small molecules such as cyanamide and glycoaldehyde, which are present in interstellar space. The aim of this work is to provide infrared spectra, in the solid phase for conditions typical of astrophysical environments and to estimate its stability toward UV photons and cosmic rays. Infrared (4000-600 cm$^{-1}$) absorption spectra at 20 K, 180 K, and 300 K, IR band strengths, and room temperature UV (120-250 nm) absorption spectra are given for the first time for this species. Destruction cross-sections of 9.5 10$^{-18}$ cm$^2$ and 2 10$^{-16}$ cm$^2$ were found in the irradiation at 20 K of pure 2AO and 2AO:H$_2$O ices with UV (6.3-10.9 eV) photons or 5 keV electrons, respectively. These data were used for the estimate of half-life times for the molecule in different environments. It is estimated that 2AO could survive UV radiation and cosmic rays in the ice mantles of dense clouds beyond cloud collapse. In contrast, it would be very unstable at the surface of cold Solar System bodies like Kuiper belt objects, but the molecule could still survive within dust grain agglomerates or cometesimals.
We investigate the interactions of energetic hadronic particles with the media in outflows from star-forming protogalaxies. These particles undergo pion-producing interactions which can drive a heating effect in the outflow, while those advected by the outflow also transport energy beyond the galaxy, heating the circumgalactic medium. We investigate how this process evolves over the length of the outflow and calculate the corresponding heating rates in advection-dominated and diffusion-dominated cosmic ray transport regimes. In a purely diffusive transport scenario, we find the peak heating rate reaches $10^{-26};! {rm erg~cm}^{-3};! {rm s}^{-1}$ at the base of the outflow where the wind is driven by core-collapse supernovae at an event rate of 0.1 $text{yr}^{-1}$, but does not extend beyond 2 kpc. In the advection limit, the peak heating rate is reduced to $10^{-28};! {rm erg~cm}^{-3};! {rm s}^{-1}$, but its extent can reach to tens of kpc. Around 10% of the cosmic rays injected into the system can escape by advection with the outflow wind, while the remaining cosmic rays deliver an important interstellar heating effect. We apply our cosmic ray heating model to the recent observation of the high-redshift galaxy MACS1149-JD1 and show that it could account for the quenching of a previous starburst inferred from spectroscopic observations. Re-ignition of later star-formation may be caused by the presence of filamentary circumgalactic inflows which are reinstated after cosmic ray heating has subsided.
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