Thermal Desorption of Interstellar Ices

Thermal Desorption of Interstellar Ices: A Review on the Controlling Parameters and Their Implications from Snowlines to Chemical Complexity

Minissale, Marco (PIIM UMR 7345)
Aikawa, Yuri (University of Tokyo)
Bergin, Edwin (University of Michigan)
Bertin, Mathieu (Universite Pierre et Marie Curie (UPMC))
Brown, Wendy A. (University of Sussex)
Cazaux, S.M. (TU Delft Astrodynamics & Space Missions)
Charnley, Steven B. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center)
Coutens, Audrey (CNRS-UPS)
Cuppen, Herma M. (Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen)

2022

The evolution of star-forming regions and their thermal balance are strongly influenced by their chemical composition, which, in turn, is determined by the physicochemical processes that govern the transition between the gas phase and the solid state, specifically icy dust grains (e.g., particle adsorption and desorption). Gas-grain and grain-gas transitions as well as formation and sublimation of interstellar ices are thus essential elements of understanding astrophysical observations of cold environments (e.g., prestellar cores) where unexpected amounts of a large variety of chemical species have been observed in the gas phase. Adsorbed atoms and molecules also undergo chemical reactions that are not efficient in the gas phase. Therefore, the parametrization of the physical properties of atoms and molecules interacting with dust grain particles is clearly a key aspect to interpret astronomical observations and to build realistic and predictive astrochemical models. In this consensus evaluation, we focus on parameters controlling the thermal desorption of ices and how these determine pathways toward molecular complexity and define the location of snowlines, which ultimately influence the planet formation process. We review different crucial aspects of desorption parameters both from a theoretical and experimental points of view. We critically assess the desorption parameters (the binding energies, E_b, and the pre-exponential factor, ν) commonly used in the astrochemical community for astrophysically relevant species and provide tables with recommended values. The aim of these tables is to provide a coherent set of critically assessed desorption parameters for common use in future work. In addition, we show that a nontrivial determination of the pre-exponential factor ν using transition state theory can affect the binding energy value. The primary focus is on pure ices, but we also discuss the desorption behavior of mixed, that is, astronomically more realistic, ices. This allows discussion of segregation effects. Finally, we conclude this work by discussing the limitations of theoretical and experimental approaches currently used to determine the desorption properties with suggestions for future improvements.

astrochemistry
binding energy
gas-grain interaction
ices
snowlines
thermal desorption
transition state theory

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:45c2267c-fd1e-4f73-b980-230c70a9c8bc

https://doi.org/10.1021/acsearthspacechem.1c00357

2023-07-01

2472-3452

ACS Earth and Space Chemistry, 6 (3), 597-630

Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository 'You share, we take care!' - Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.

Institutional Repository

review

© 2022 Marco Minissale, Yuri Aikawa, Edwin Bergin, Mathieu Bertin, Wendy A. Brown, S.M. Cazaux, Steven B. Charnley, Audrey Coutens, Herma M. Cuppen, More Authors