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We report experimental results for the ionization and fragmentation of weakly bound van der Waals clusters of n C-60 molecules following collisions with Ar2+, He2+, and Xe20+ at laboratory kinetic energies of 13 keV, 22.5 keV, and 300 keV, respectively. Intact singly charged C-60 monomers are the dominant reaction products in all three cases and this is accounted for by means of Monte Carlo calculations of energy transfer processes and a simple Arrhenius-type [C-60](n)(+) -> C-60(+) + (n - 1)C-60 evaporation model. Excitation energies in the range of only similar to 0.7 eV per C-60 molecule in a [C-60](13)(+) cluster are sufficient for complete evaporation and such low energies correspond to ion trajectories far outside the clusters. Still we observe singly and even doubly charged intact cluster ions which stem from even more distant collisions. For penetrating collisions the clusters become multiply charged and some of the individual molecules may be promptly fragmented in direct knock-out processes leading to efficient formations of new covalent systems. For Ar2+ and He2+ collisions, we observe very efficient C-119(+) and C-118(+) formation and molecular dynamics simulations suggest that they are covalent dumb-bell systems due to bonding between C-59(+) or C-58(+) and C-60 during cluster fragmentation. In the Ar2+ case, it is possible to form even smaller C-120-2m(+) molecules (m = 2-7), while no molecular fusion reactions are observed for the present Xe20+ collisions., AuthorCount:23

We report highly selective covalent bond modifications in collisions between keV alpha particles and van der Waals clusters of C-60 fullerenes. Surprisingly, C-119(+) and C-118(+) are the dominant molecular fusion products. We use molecular dynamics simulations to show that C-59(+) and C-58(+) ions-effectively produced in prompt knockout processes with He2+-react rapidly with C-60 to form dumbbell C-119(+) and C-118(+). Ion impact on molecular clusters in general is expected to lead to efficient secondary reactions of interest for astrophysics. These reactions are different from those induced by photons., AuthorCount:22

We have measured the ionization and fragmentation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) molecules and their clusters. We find that PAH clusters containing up to roughly 100 individual molecules fragment strongly following collisions with keV ions in low or high charge states (q). For both types of collisions, singly charged PAH molecules are found to be the dominant products but for very different reasons. A high-q ion projectile charge leads to strong multiple ionization of the PAH clusters and subsequent Coulomb explosions. A low-q ion projectile charge often leads to single ionization but stronger internal heating and long evaporation sequences with a singly charged PAH monomer as the end product. We have developed a Monte Carlo method for collision-induced heating of PAH clusters and present an evaporation model where the clusters cool slowly as most of the internal energies are stored in intramolecular vibrations and not in molecule-molecule vibrations., AuthorCount:20

Context. Cosmic ray ion irradiation affects the chemical composition of and triggers physical changes in interstellar ice mantles in space. One of the primary structural changes induced is the loss of porosity, and the mantles evolve toward a more compact amorphous state. Previously, ice compaction was monitored at low to moderate ion energies. The existence of a compaction threshold in stopping power has been suggested. Aims. In this article we experimentally study the effect of heavy ion irradiation at energies closer to true cosmic rays. This minimises extrapolation and allows a regime where electronic interaction always dominates to be explored, providing the ice compaction cross section over a wide range of electronic stopping power. Methods. High-energy ion irradiations provided by the GANIL accelerator, from the MeV up to the GeV range, are combined with in-situ infrared spectroscopy monitoring of ice mantles. We follow the IR spectral evolution of the ice as a function of increasing fluence (induced compaction of the initial microporous amorphous ice into a more compact amorphous phase). We use the number of OH dangling bonds of the water molecule, i.e. pending OH bonds not engaged in a hydrogen bond in the initially porous ice structure as a probe of the phase transition. These high-energy experiments are combined with lower energy experiments using light ions (H, He) from other facilities in Catania, Italy, and Washington, USA. Results. We evaluated the cross section for the disappearance of OH dangling bonds as a function of electronic stopping power. A cross-section law in a large energy range that includes data from different ice deposition setups is established. The relevant phase structuring time scale for the ice network is compared to interstellar chemical time scales using an astrophysical model. Conclusions. The presence of a threshold in compaction at low stopping power suggested in some previous works seems not to be confirmed for the high-energ

Methane (CH4) ice is found in the interstellar medium and in several bodies of the Solar system, where it is commonly exposed to cosmic rays and stellar winds. The chemical, physical and structural effects induced by fast heavy ions in thin layers of pure CH4 ices at 15 K are analysed by mid-infrared spectroscopy (Fourier transform infrared). Different pure CH4 ice samples were irradiated with 6 MeV 16O2, 220 MeV 16O7, 267 MeV 56Fe22 and 606 MeV 70Zn26 ions at Grand Accélérateur National d’Ions Lourds/France. Results show that CnHm molecules, where n = 2–4 and m = 2(n − 1) to 2(n + 1) and radical species CH3, C2H3 and C2H5 are formed. The destruction cross-sections of CH4 ice and the formation cross-sections of new molecules CnHm are reported. The extrapolation of current results allow us to estimate the half lives of CH4 ices in the interstellar medium and the Solar system (Earth orbit) as about 600 x 106 and 600 yr, respectively. This huge ratio strongly suggests that the vast majority of chemical or even biochemical processes induced by ionizing radiation occur close to stars.

Interaction between slow multiply charged ions and small to medium-size neutral water clusters is investigated. Strong projectile charge dependence is found for all of the fragmentation patterns. A variation of the projectile charge dramatically changes the proportion of multi-electron removal, the fragment kinetic energies as well as the mean size of the emitted fragments. First results for highly charged ion - water cluster ion collisions will also be presented.

The interaction of slow ions (nu similar to 0.4 au.) with a small polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, namely anthracene (C14H10), is studied in the gas-phase either with the isolated molecule or with a pure cluster target. We discuss the ionization and fragmentation of the molecule with respect to the projectile charge state, i.e. for singly charged He+ ions and for multiply charged Xe20+. ions. For the isolated C14H10, single or multiple ionization of the molecule occurs under ion impact. The (multi) cation relative yields are compared with those obtained by other ionization methods (electron and fs-laser). The molecular dissociation occurs by loss of hydrogen and small hydrocarbon molecules, leading to the formation of CnHx cations. The interaction of Xe20+ with C14H10 clusters gives surprising results, i.e. the emission of hotter monomer compared to the interaction with He+., AuthorCount:20

We report on measurements of the ionization and fragmentation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) targets in Xe(20+) + C(16)H(10) and Xe(20+) + [C(16)H(10)](k) collisions and compare results for the two C(16)H(10) isomers: pyrene and fluoranthene. For both types of targets, i.e., for single PAH molecules isolated in vacuum or for isomerically pure clusters of one of the molecules, the resulting fragment spectra are surprisingly similar. However, we do observe weak but significant isomer effects. Although these are manifested in very different ways for the monomer and cluster targets, they both have at their roots small differences (<2.5 eV) between the total binding energies of neutral, and singly and multiply charged pyrene and fluoranthene monomers. The results will be discussed in view of the density functional theory calculations of ionization and dissociation energies for fluoranthene and pyrene. A simple classical over-the-barrier model is used to estimate cross sections for single-and multiple-electron transfer between PAHs and ions. Calculated single and multiple ionization energies, and the corresponding model PAH ionization cross sections, are given., authorCount :17

We report on an experimental study of the ionization and fragmentation of clusters of k polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) molecules using anthracene, C14H10, or coronene, C24H12. These PAH clusters are moderately charged and strongly heated in small impact parameter collisions with 22.5-keV He2+ ions, after which they mostly decay in long monomer evaporation sequences with singly charged and comparatively cold monomers as dominating end products. We describe a simple cluster evaporation model and estimate the number of PAH molecules in the clusters that have to be hit by He2+ projectiles for such complete cluster evaporations to occur. Highly charged and initially cold clusters are efficiently formed in collisions with 360-keV Xe20+ ions, leading to cluster Coulomb explosions and several hot charged fragments, which again predominantly yield singly charged, but much hotter, monomer ions than the He2+ collisions. We present a simple formula, based on density-functional-theory calculations, for the ionization energy sequences as functions of coronene cluster size, rationalized in terms of the classic electrostatic expression for the ionization of a charged conducting object. Our analysis indicates that multiple electron removal by highly charged ions from a cluster of PAH molecules rapidly may become more important than single ionization as the cluster size k increases and that this is the main reason for the unexpectedly strong heating in these types of collisions.

Our groups in Brazil, France and Italy have been active, among others in the world, in performing experiments on physical-chemical effects induced by fast ions colliding with solids (frozen gases, carbonaceous and organic materials, silicates, etc.) of astrophysical interest. The used ions span a very large range of energies, from a few keV to hundreds MeV. Here we present a summary of the results obtained so far on the formation of oxidants (hydrogen peroxide and ozone) after ion irradiation of frozen water, carbon dioxide and their mixtures. Irradiation of pure water ice produces hydrogen peroxide whatever is the used ion and at different temperatures. Irradiation of carbon dioxide and water frozen mixtures result in the production of molecules among which hydrogen peroxide and ozone. The experimental results are discussed in the light of the relevance they have to support the presence of an energy source for biosphere on Europa and other icy moons in the outer Solar System.

An experimental study on the interaction of heavy, highly charged, and energetic ions (52 MeV Ni^13+) with pure H2O, pure CO2 and mixed H2O:CO2 astrophysical ice analogs is presented. This analysis aims to simulate the chemical and the physicochemical interactions induced by heavy cosmic rays inside dense and cold astrophysical environments such as molecular clouds or protostellar clouds. The measurements were performed at the heavy ion accelerator GANIL (Grand Accelerateur National d'Ions Lourds in Caen, France). The gas samples were deposited onto a CsI substrate at 13 K. In-situ analysis was performed by a Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometer at different fluences. Radiolysis yields of the produced species were quantified. The dissociation cross sections of pure H2O and CO2 ices are 1.1 and 1.9E-13 cm^2, respectively. In the case of mixed H2O:CO2 (10:1) the dissociation cross sections of both species are about 1E-13 cm^2. The measured sputtering yield of pure CO2 ice is 2.2E4 molec/ion. After a fluence of 2-3E12 ions/cm^2 the CO2/CO ratio becomes roughly constant (~0.1), independent of the of initial CO2/H2O ratio. A similar behavior is observed for the H2O2/H2O ratio which stabilizes at 0.01, independent of the initial H2O column density or relative abundance., Comment: 13 pages, 9 figures, 4 tables. Accepted to be published in Astronomy and Astrophysics

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 d'Ions 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-)., Comment: Accepted to be published in Astronomy and Astrophysics; Number of pages: 12; Number of Figures: 7; Number of Tables: 5