Title

Formation of Molecular Hydrogen on Amorphous Silicate Surfaces

Author(s)/Creator(s)

Gianfranco Vidali, Department of Physics, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY
Ling Li, Syracuse University
E. Congiu, Syracuse University, Universita di Catania, and Universita di CagliariFollow
S. Swords, Syracuse University

Document Type

Article

Date

9-16-2007

Keywords

TBD

Language

English

Disciplines

Physics

Description/Abstract

Experimental results on the formation of molecular hydrogen on amorphous silicate surfaces are presented and analyzed using a rate equation model. The energy barriers for the relevant diffusion and desorption processes are obtained. They turn out to be significantly higher than those obtained for polycrystalline silicates, demonstrating the importance of grain morphology. Using these barriers we evaluate the efficiency of molecular hydrogen formation on amorphous silicate grains under interstellar conditions. It is found that unlike polycrystalline silicates, amorphous silicate grains are efficient catalysts of H_2 formation in diffuse interstellar clouds.

Additional Information

5 pages, 2 figs. Proceedings of the international astrophysics and astrochemistry meeting in Paris (2007): Molecules in space & laboratory More information at http://arxiv.org/abs/0709.2472

Authors listed are from Syracuse University. For additional authors, click "Download."

Recommended Citation

Vidali, Gianfranco; Li, Ling; Congiu, E.; and Swords, S., "Formation of Molecular Hydrogen on Amorphous Silicate Surfaces" (2007). Physics - All Scholarship. 504.
https://surface.syr.edu/phy/504

Source

Harvested from Arxiv.org

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.