Issue 30, 2016

THz time-domain spectroscopy of mixed CO2–CH3OH interstellar ice analogs

Abstract

The icy mantles of interstellar dust grains are the birthplaces of the primordial prebiotic molecular inventory that may eventually seed nascent solar systems and the planets and planetesimals that form therein. Here, we present a study of two of the most abundant species in these ices after water: carbon dioxide (CO2) and methanol (CH3OH), using TeraHertz (THz) time-domain spectroscopy and mid-infrared spectroscopy. We study pure and mixed-ices of these species, and demonstrate the power of the THz region of the spectrum to elucidate the long-range structure (i.e. crystalline versus amorphous) of the ice, the degree of segregation of these species within the ice, and the thermal history of the species within the ice. Finally, we comment on the utility of the THz transitions arising from these ices for use in astronomical observations of interstellar ices.

Graphical abstract: THz time-domain spectroscopy of mixed CO2–CH3OH interstellar ice analogs

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
28 janv. 2016
Accepted
01 juin 2016
First published
07 juin 2016

Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2016,18, 20199-20207

Author version available

THz time-domain spectroscopy of mixed CO2–CH3OH interstellar ice analogs

B. A. McGuire, S. Ioppolo, M. A. Allodi and G. A. Blake, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2016, 18, 20199 DOI: 10.1039/C6CP00632A

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