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Icy mantles of benzonitrile, an aromatic with a cyanide side chain that has recently been detected in the interstellar medium, were subjected to vacuum ultraviolet photon irradiation and found to form a residue. The residue was removed from the substrate and placed on a Quantifoil grid for electron microscopy analysis. Transmission electron microscopy showed Quantum Dot (QD) and Nitrogen-doped Graphene (N-Graphene) sheets. Diffraction and Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy revealed the crystalline nature and carbon-nitrogen composition, of the observed graphene sheet. This is the first result showing QD and N-Graphene synthesis in ice irradiation at interstellar temperatures., Comment: 10 pages, 3 figures

The building blocks of life, amino acids and nucleobases, are believed to have been synthesized in the extreme conditions that prevail in space starting from simple molecules containing hydrogen, carbon, oxygen and nitrogen. However, the fate and role of amino acids and nucleobases when they are subjected to similar processes largely remains unexplored. Here we report, for the first time, that shock processed amino acids and nucleobases tend to form complex macroscale structures. Such structures are formed on timescales of about 2 ms. This discovery suggests that the building blocks of life could have polymerized not just on Earth but on other planetary bodies. Our study also provides further experimental evidence for the 'threads' observed in meteorites being due to assemblages of (bio)molecules arising from impact induced shocks., Comment: 17 pages, 5 figures, 1 table, 3 supplementary figures

Here we report the first evidence for a reversible phase change in an ethanethiol ice prepared under astrochemical conditions. InfraRed (IR) spectroscopy was used to monitor the morphology of the ice using the S-H stretching vibration, a characteristic vibration of thiol molecules. The deposited sample was able to switch between amorphous and crystalline phases repeatedly under temperature cycles between 10 K and 130 K with subsequent loss of molecules in every phase change. Such an effect is dependent upon the original thickness of the ice. Further work on quantitative analysis is to be carried out in due course whereas here we are reporting the first results obtained., Comment: 13 pages, 7 figures, submitted to spectrochimica Acta

This paper presents the X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic (XPS) studies of Nd doped phosphate glasses before and after gamma irradiation. The intensity and location of LIII edge white line peak of Nd are found to be dependent on the concentration of Nd as well as on the ratio of O/Nd in the glass matrix. The decrease in the peak intensity of white line of XANES spectra and asymmetry in the profile of Nd 3d5/2 peak of XPS after gamma irradiation clearly indicates that Nd3+ gets reduced to Nd2+ in the glass matrix, which increases with an increase in the doses of irradiation. Sharpening of Nd 3d5/2 XPS profile indicates about the deficiency of oxygen in the glass after gamma irradiation, which is supported by EDX measurement., Comment: arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1406.4686

We carried out an experiment in order to obtain the InfraRed (IR) spectra of methyl propionate (CH3CH2COOCH3) in astrochemical conditions and present the IR spectra for future identification of this molecule in the InterStellar Medium (ISM). The experimental IR spectrum is compared with the theoretical spectrum and an attempt was made to assign the observed peak positions to their corresponding molecular vibrations in condensed phase. Moreover, our calculations suggest that methyl propionate must be synthesized efficiently within the complex chemical network of the ISM and therefore be present in cold dust grains, awaiting identification., Comment: 14 pages, 3 figures, accepted in MNRAS for publication

Nd doped phosphate glasses have been studied before and after gamma irradiation in order to understand the effect of glass composition and radiation induced defects on the optical properties of glasses. UV, Vis absorption and photoluminescence spectra of these glasses are found strongly dependent on the composition of glass matrix, particularly on the ratio of oxygen (O) and neodymium (Nd) concentration obtained from energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopic (EDX) measurement. Gamma irradiation of glass modifies the transmission below 700 nm due to generation of some new absorption bands corresponding to different types of defects. Observations indicate toward possibility of change in the valence state of Nd3+ to Nd2+ and generation of oxygen vacancies in glass matrix. EDX and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic (XPS) measurements indicate change in the composition of glasses particularly decrease in the relative concentration of oxygen in glass samples after gamma irradiation.

Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra and X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS) of Nd doped phosphate glasses have been studied before and after gamma irradiation in order to find the behavior of chemical bonds, which decide the structural changes in the glass samples. IR absorption spectra of these glasses are found dominated mainly by the characteristics phosphate groups, water (OH) present in the glass network as well as on the composition of glass matrix. The effects of gamma irradiation are observed in the form of bond breaking and possible re-arrangement of the bonding in the glass. Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and XPS measurements show changes in the relative concentration of elements; particularly decrease in the concentration of oxygen in the glass samples after gamma irradiation, a possible source of oxygen vacancies. The decrease in the asymmetry in O 1s spectra after gamma irradiation indicates towards decrease in the concentration of bridging oxygen as a result of P-O-P bond breaking. Asymmetric profile of Nd 3d5/2peak after gamma irradiation is found to be due to conversion of Nd3+ to Nd2+ in the glass matrix.

Resonant Raman spectra (RRS) of O-H and O-D vibration and libration modes, their combinations and higher harmonics have been observed in LiTaO3 polycrystalline thin films. RRS peaks are superimposed on photoluminescence (PL) spectrum. Monochromatic light from a xenon lamp is used as excitation source. PL spectrum shows two broad peaks, first near the band gap in UV (4.4-4.8eV) and another in the sub band gap region (< 4.0 eV). Band gap PL along with RRS peaks are reported for the first time. Photoluminescence excitation spectrum (PLE) shows a peak at 4.8 eV. Peak positions and full width at half maximum (FWHM) of RRS peaks depend upon the excitation energy. Dispersions of the fundamental and the third harmonic of the stretching mode of O-H with excitation energy are about 800 cm-1/eV and 2000 cm-1/eV respectively. This dispersion is much higher than reported in any other material., Comment: 20 pages

Resonance Raman (RR) peaks of and stretching modes and their higher harmonics have been observed superimposed on photoluminescence (PL) spectrum of thin films. Commercial fluorine doped thin films deposited by sputtering on glass and thin films deposited on Si by laser ablation have been studied. The dispersions of CO and OH stretching RR modes are ~ 600 cm-1/eV and 800 cm-1 respectively. The dispersion of the third harmonic of CO stretching mode is ~ 2000 cm-1/eV. Similar dispersion of RR peak of stretching modes and higher harmonics superimposed on PL spectra has been observed in Mo1-xFexO2 thin films and SiO2 bulk glass. Large dispersion of RR peaks seems to be a common property of oxides with impurities of and ., Comment: 13 pages including three figures