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Mifsud DV, Herczku P, Rahul KK, Ramachandran R, Sundararajan P, Kovács STS, Sulik B, Juhász Z, Rácz R, Biri S, Kaňuchová Z, McCullough RW, Sivaraman B, Ioppolo S, Mason NJ. A systematic mid-infrared spectroscopic study of thermally processed SO 2 ices. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2023; 25:26278-26288. [PMID: 37747055 DOI: 10.1039/d3cp03196a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/26/2023]
Abstract
The use of mid-infrared spectroscopy to characterise the chemistry of icy interstellar and Solar System environments will be exploited in the near future to better understand the chemical processes and molecular inventories in various astronomical environments. This is, in part, due to observational work made possible by the recently launched James Webb Space Telescope as well as forthcoming missions to the outer Solar System that will observe in the mid-infrared spectroscopic region (e.g., the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer and the Europa Clipper missions). However, such spectroscopic characterisations are crucially reliant upon the generation of laboratory data for comparative purposes. In this paper, we present an extensive mid-infrared characterisation of SO2 ice condensed at several cryogenic temperatures between 20 and 100 K and thermally annealed to sublimation in an ultrahigh-vacuum system. Our results are anticipated to be useful in confirming the detection (and possibly thermal history) of SO2 on various Solar System bodies, such as Ceres and the icy Galilean moons of Jupiter, as well as in interstellar icy grain mantles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Duncan V Mifsud
- Centre for Astrophysics and Planetary Science, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Kent, Canterbury, CT2 7NH, UK.
- Atomic and Molecular Physics Laboratory, Institute for Nuclear Research (Atomki), Debrecen H-4026, Hungary
| | - Péter Herczku
- Atomic and Molecular Physics Laboratory, Institute for Nuclear Research (Atomki), Debrecen H-4026, Hungary
| | - K K Rahul
- Atomic and Molecular Physics Laboratory, Institute for Nuclear Research (Atomki), Debrecen H-4026, Hungary
| | - Ragav Ramachandran
- Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics Division, Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad 380009, India
| | - Pavithraa Sundararajan
- Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics Division, Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad 380009, India
| | - Sándor T S Kovács
- Atomic and Molecular Physics Laboratory, Institute for Nuclear Research (Atomki), Debrecen H-4026, Hungary
| | - Béla Sulik
- Atomic and Molecular Physics Laboratory, Institute for Nuclear Research (Atomki), Debrecen H-4026, Hungary
| | - Zoltán Juhász
- Atomic and Molecular Physics Laboratory, Institute for Nuclear Research (Atomki), Debrecen H-4026, Hungary
| | - Richárd Rácz
- Atomic and Molecular Physics Laboratory, Institute for Nuclear Research (Atomki), Debrecen H-4026, Hungary
| | - Sándor Biri
- Atomic and Molecular Physics Laboratory, Institute for Nuclear Research (Atomki), Debrecen H-4026, Hungary
| | - Zuzana Kaňuchová
- Astronomical Institute, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Tatranská Lomnica, SK-059 60, Slovakia
| | - Robert W McCullough
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, School of Mathematics and Physics, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, BT7 1NN, UK
| | - Bhalamurugan Sivaraman
- Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics Division, Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad 380009, India
| | - Sergio Ioppolo
- Centre for Interstellar Catalysis (InterCat), Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, Aarhus DK-8000, Denmark
- School of Electronic Engineering and Computer Science, Queen Mary University of London, London E1 4NS, UK
| | - Nigel J Mason
- Centre for Astrophysics and Planetary Science, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Kent, Canterbury, CT2 7NH, UK.
- Atomic and Molecular Physics Laboratory, Institute for Nuclear Research (Atomki), Debrecen H-4026, Hungary
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Mifsud DV, Herczku P, Rácz R, Rahul KK, Kovács STS, Juhász Z, Sulik B, Biri S, McCullough RW, Kaňuchová Z, Ioppolo S, Hailey PA, Mason NJ. Energetic electron irradiations of amorphous and crystalline sulphur-bearing astrochemical ices. Front Chem 2022; 10:1003163. [PMID: 36226122 PMCID: PMC9549411 DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2022.1003163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2022] [Accepted: 08/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Laboratory experiments have confirmed that the radiolytic decay rate of astrochemical ice analogues is dependent upon the solid phase of the target ice, with some crystalline molecular ices being more radio-resistant than their amorphous counterparts. The degree of radio-resistance exhibited by crystalline ice phases is dependent upon the nature, strength, and extent of the intermolecular interactions that characterise their solid structure. For example, it has been shown that crystalline CH3OH decays at a significantly slower rate when irradiated by 2 keV electrons at 20 K than does the amorphous phase due to the stabilising effect imparted by the presence of an extensive array of strong hydrogen bonds. These results have important consequences for the astrochemistry of interstellar ices and outer Solar System bodies, as they imply that the chemical products arising from the irradiation of amorphous ices (which may include prebiotic molecules relevant to biology) should be more abundant than those arising from similar irradiations of crystalline phases. In this present study, we have extended our work on this subject by performing comparative energetic electron irradiations of the amorphous and crystalline phases of the sulphur-bearing molecules H2S and SO2 at 20 K. We have found evidence for phase-dependent chemistry in both these species, with the radiation-induced exponential decay of amorphous H2S being more rapid than that of the crystalline phase, similar to the effect that has been previously observed for CH3OH. For SO2, two fluence regimes are apparent: a low-fluence regime in which the crystalline ice exhibits a rapid exponential decay while the amorphous ice possibly resists decay, and a high-fluence regime in which both phases undergo slow exponential-like decays. We have discussed our results in the contexts of interstellar and Solar System ice astrochemistry and the formation of sulphur allotropes and residues in these settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Duncan V. Mifsud
- Centre for Astrophysics and Planetary Science, School of Physical Sciences, University of Kent, Canterbury, United Kingdom
- Institute for Nuclear Research (Atomki), Debrecen, Hungary
- *Correspondence: Duncan V. Mifsud, ; Péter Herczku, ; Nigel J. Mason,
| | - Péter Herczku
- Institute for Nuclear Research (Atomki), Debrecen, Hungary
- *Correspondence: Duncan V. Mifsud, ; Péter Herczku, ; Nigel J. Mason,
| | - Richárd Rácz
- Institute for Nuclear Research (Atomki), Debrecen, Hungary
| | - K. K. Rahul
- Institute for Nuclear Research (Atomki), Debrecen, Hungary
| | | | - Zoltán Juhász
- Institute for Nuclear Research (Atomki), Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Béla Sulik
- Institute for Nuclear Research (Atomki), Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Sándor Biri
- Institute for Nuclear Research (Atomki), Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Robert W. McCullough
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, School of Mathematics and Physics, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast, United Kingdom
| | - Zuzana Kaňuchová
- Astronomical Institute, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Tatranská Lomnica, Slovakia
| | - Sergio Ioppolo
- School of Electronic Engineering and Computer Science, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Perry A. Hailey
- Centre for Astrophysics and Planetary Science, School of Physical Sciences, University of Kent, Canterbury, United Kingdom
| | - Nigel J. Mason
- Centre for Astrophysics and Planetary Science, School of Physical Sciences, University of Kent, Canterbury, United Kingdom
- Institute for Nuclear Research (Atomki), Debrecen, Hungary
- *Correspondence: Duncan V. Mifsud, ; Péter Herczku, ; Nigel J. Mason,
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Mifsud DV, Kaňuchová Z, Ioppolo S, Herczku P, Traspas Muiña A, Sulik B, Rahul KK, Kovács STS, Hailey PA, McCullough RW, Mason NJ, Juhász Z. Ozone production in electron irradiated CO 2:O 2 ices. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2022; 24:18169-18178. [PMID: 35861183 DOI: 10.1039/d2cp01535h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
The detection of ozone (O3) in the surface ices of Ganymede, Jupiter's largest moon, and of the Saturnian moons Rhea and Dione, has motivated several studies on the route of formation of this species. Previous studies have successfully quantified trends in the production of O3 as a result of the irradiation of pure molecular ices using ultraviolet photons and charged particles (i.e., ions and electrons), such as the abundances of O3 formed after irradiation at different temperatures or using different charged particles. In this study, we extend such results by quantifying the abundance of O3 as a result of the 1 keV electron irradiation of a series of 14 stoichiometrically distinct CO2:O2 astrophysical ice analogues at 20 K. By using mid-infrared spectroscopy as our primary analytical tool, we have also been able to perform a spectral analysis of the asymmetric stretching mode of solid O3 and the variation in its observed shape and profile among the investigated ice mixtures. Our results are important in the context of better understanding the surface composition and chemistry of icy outer Solar System objects, and may thus be of use to future interplanetary space missions such as the ESA Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer and the NASA Europa Clipper missions, as well as the recently launched NASA James Webb Space Telescope.
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Affiliation(s)
- Duncan V Mifsud
- Centre for Astrophysics and Planetary Science, School of Physical Sciences, University of Kent, Canterbury CT2 7NH, UK. .,Institute for Nuclear Research (Atomki), Debrecen H-4026, Hungary.
| | - Zuzana Kaňuchová
- Astronomical Institute, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Tatranská Lomnica SK-059 60, Slovakia.
| | - Sergio Ioppolo
- School of Electronic Engineering and Computer Science, Queen Mary University of London, London E1 4NS, UK.
| | - Péter Herczku
- Institute for Nuclear Research (Atomki), Debrecen H-4026, Hungary.
| | - Alejandra Traspas Muiña
- School of Electronic Engineering and Computer Science, Queen Mary University of London, London E1 4NS, UK.
| | - Béla Sulik
- Institute for Nuclear Research (Atomki), Debrecen H-4026, Hungary.
| | - K K Rahul
- Institute for Nuclear Research (Atomki), Debrecen H-4026, Hungary.
| | | | - Perry A Hailey
- Centre for Astrophysics and Planetary Science, School of Physical Sciences, University of Kent, Canterbury CT2 7NH, UK.
| | - Robert W McCullough
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, School of Mathematics and Physics, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast BT7 1NN, UK
| | - Nigel J Mason
- Centre for Astrophysics and Planetary Science, School of Physical Sciences, University of Kent, Canterbury CT2 7NH, UK.
| | - Zoltán Juhász
- Institute for Nuclear Research (Atomki), Debrecen H-4026, Hungary.
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Mifsud DV, Hailey PA, Herczku P, Sulik B, Juhász Z, Kovács STS, Kaňuchová Z, Ioppolo S, McCullough RW, Paripás B, Mason NJ. Comparative electron irradiations of amorphous and crystalline astrophysical ice analogues. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2022; 24:10974-10984. [PMID: 35466978 DOI: 10.1039/d2cp00886f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Laboratory studies of the radiation chemistry occurring in astrophysical ices have demonstrated the dependence of this chemistry on a number of experimental parameters. One experimental parameter which has received significantly less attention is that of the phase of the solid ice under investigation. In this present study, we have performed systematic 2 keV electron irradiations of the amorphous and crystalline phases of pure CH3OH and N2O astrophysical ice analogues. Radiation-induced decay of these ices and the concomitant formation of products were monitored in situ using FT-IR spectroscopy. A direct comparison between the irradiated amorphous and crystalline CH3OH ices revealed a more rapid decay of the former compared to the latter. Interestingly, a significantly lesser difference was observed when comparing the decay rates of the amorphous and crystalline N2O ices. These observations have been rationalised in terms of the strength and extent of the intermolecular forces present in each ice. The strong and extensive hydrogen-bonding network that exists in crystalline CH3OH (but not in the amorphous phase) is suggested to significantly stabilise this phase against radiation-induced decay. Conversely, although alignment of the dipole moment of N2O is anticipated to be more extensive in the crystalline structure, its weak attractive potential does not significantly stabilise the crystalline phase against radiation-induced decay, hence explaining the smaller difference in decay rates between the amorphous and crystalline phases of N2O compared to those of CH3OH. Our results are relevant to the astrochemistry of interstellar ices and icy Solar System objects, which may experience phase changes due to thermally-induced crystallisation or space radiation-induced amorphisation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Duncan V Mifsud
- Centre for Astrophysics and Planetary Science, School of Physical Sciences, University of Kent, Canterbury CT2 7NH, UK. .,Atomic and Molecular Physics Laboratory, Institute for Nuclear Research (Atomki), Debrecen H-4026, Hungary
| | - Perry A Hailey
- Centre for Astrophysics and Planetary Science, School of Physical Sciences, University of Kent, Canterbury CT2 7NH, UK.
| | - Péter Herczku
- Atomic and Molecular Physics Laboratory, Institute for Nuclear Research (Atomki), Debrecen H-4026, Hungary
| | - Béla Sulik
- Atomic and Molecular Physics Laboratory, Institute for Nuclear Research (Atomki), Debrecen H-4026, Hungary
| | - Zoltán Juhász
- Atomic and Molecular Physics Laboratory, Institute for Nuclear Research (Atomki), Debrecen H-4026, Hungary
| | - Sándor T S Kovács
- Atomic and Molecular Physics Laboratory, Institute for Nuclear Research (Atomki), Debrecen H-4026, Hungary
| | - Zuzana Kaňuchová
- Astronomical Institute, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Tatranska Lomnicá, SK-059 60, Slovakia
| | - Sergio Ioppolo
- School of Electronic Engineering and Computer Science, Queen Mary University of London, London E1 4NS, UK
| | - Robert W McCullough
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, School of Mathematics and Physics, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast BT7 1NN, UK
| | - Béla Paripás
- Department of Physics, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Informatics, University of Miskolc, Miskolc H-3515, Hungary
| | - Nigel J Mason
- Centre for Astrophysics and Planetary Science, School of Physical Sciences, University of Kent, Canterbury CT2 7NH, UK.
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Herczku P, Mifsud DV, Ioppolo S, Juhász Z, Kaňuchová Z, Kovács STS, Traspas Muiña A, Hailey PA, Rajta I, Vajda I, Mason NJ, McCullough RW, Paripás B, Sulik B. The Ice Chamber for Astrophysics-Astrochemistry (ICA): A new experimental facility for ion impact studies of astrophysical ice analogs. Rev Sci Instrum 2021; 92:084501. [PMID: 34470410 DOI: 10.1063/5.0050930] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2021] [Accepted: 07/27/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The Ice Chamber for Astrophysics-Astrochemistry (ICA) is a new laboratory end station located at the Institute for Nuclear Research (Atomki) in Debrecen, Hungary. The ICA has been specifically designed for the study of the physico-chemical properties of astrophysical ice analogs and their chemical evolution when subjected to ionizing radiation and thermal processing. The ICA is an ultra-high-vacuum compatible chamber containing a series of IR-transparent substrates mounted on a copper holder connected to a closed-cycle cryostat capable of being cooled down to 20 K, itself mounted on a 360° rotation stage and a z-linear manipulator. Ices are deposited onto the substrates via background deposition of dosed gases. The ice structure and chemical composition are monitored by means of FTIR absorbance spectroscopy in transmission mode, although the use of reflectance mode is possible by using metallic substrates. Pre-prepared ices may be processed in a variety of ways. A 2 MV Tandetron accelerator is capable of delivering a wide variety of high-energy ions into the ICA, which simulates ice processing by cosmic rays, solar wind, or magnetospheric ions. The ICA is also equipped with an electron gun that may be used for electron impact radiolysis of ices. Thermal processing of both deposited and processed ices may be monitored by means of both FTIR spectroscopy and quadrupole mass spectrometry. In this paper, we provide a detailed description of the ICA setup as well as an overview of the preliminary results obtained and future plans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Péter Herczku
- Institute for Nuclear Research (Atomki), PO Box 51, Debrecen H-4026, Hungary
| | - Duncan V Mifsud
- Institute for Nuclear Research (Atomki), PO Box 51, Debrecen H-4026, Hungary
| | - Sergio Ioppolo
- School of Electronic Engineering and Computer Science, Queen Mary University of London, London E1 4NS, United Kingdom
| | - Zoltán Juhász
- Institute for Nuclear Research (Atomki), PO Box 51, Debrecen H-4026, Hungary
| | - Zuzana Kaňuchová
- Astronomical Institute, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Tatranská Lomnica SK-059 60, Slovakia
| | - Sándor T S Kovács
- Institute for Nuclear Research (Atomki), PO Box 51, Debrecen H-4026, Hungary
| | - Alejandra Traspas Muiña
- School of Electronic Engineering and Computer Science, Queen Mary University of London, London E1 4NS, United Kingdom
| | - Perry A Hailey
- Centre for Astrophysics and Planetary Science, School of Physical Sciences, University of Kent, Canterbury CT2 7NH, United Kingdom
| | - István Rajta
- Institute for Nuclear Research (Atomki), PO Box 51, Debrecen H-4026, Hungary
| | - István Vajda
- Institute for Nuclear Research (Atomki), PO Box 51, Debrecen H-4026, Hungary
| | - Nigel J Mason
- Centre for Astrophysics and Planetary Science, School of Physical Sciences, University of Kent, Canterbury CT2 7NH, United Kingdom
| | - Robert W McCullough
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, School of Mathematics and Physics, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast BT7 1NN, United Kingdom
| | - Béla Paripás
- Department of Physics, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Informatics, University of Miskolc, Miskolc H-3515, Hungary
| | - Béla Sulik
- Institute for Nuclear Research (Atomki), PO Box 51, Debrecen H-4026, Hungary
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Urso RG, Scirè C, Baratta GA, Brucato JR, Compagnini G, Kaňuchová Z, Palumbo ME, Strazzulla G. Infrared study on the thermal evolution of solid state formamide. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2017; 19:21759-21768. [DOI: 10.1039/c7cp03959j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Formamide synthesized in interstellar ice analogues after energetic processing remains trapped in the refractory residue simultaneously produced.
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Affiliation(s)
- Riccardo Giovanni Urso
- Dipartimento di Scienze Chimiche
- Università degli Studi di Catania
- 95125 Catania
- Italy
- INAF-Osservatorio Astrofisico di Catania
| | - Carlotta Scirè
- INAF-Osservatorio Astrofisico di Catania
- 95123 Catania
- Italy
| | | | | | - Giuseppe Compagnini
- Dipartimento di Scienze Chimiche
- Università degli Studi di Catania
- 95125 Catania
- Italy
| | - Zuzana Kaňuchová
- INAF-Osservatorio Astrofisico di Catania
- 95123 Catania
- Italy
- Astronomical Institute of Slovak Academy of Sciences
- 05960 Tatranská Lomnica
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