"How many years would a radio signal from earth take to reach the Andromeda galaxy?"
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Formation of Molecular Hydrogen via Interaction of Ionizing Radiation with Hydrocarbon Ices in the Interstellar Medium
Project Investigators: Ralf Kaiser, Gianfranco Vidali
Summary
In the interstellar medium, the formation of molecular hydrogen is still unresolved. Various production mechanisms have been proposed. These involve a) dissociative recombination of H3+ with an electron, b) formation on grain surfaces, and c) formation in ices via interaction of cosmic ray particles. Here, we are conducting laboratory experiment to investigate to what extent cosmic ray particles can form molecular hydrogen upon interaction with ice-coated interstellar grain particles. The formation routes to be elucidated can be also exported to ices in our Solar system.
Astrobiology Roadmap Objectives:
Project Progress
On his sabbatical, Prof. Vidali (Univ. Syracuse) and Prof. Kaiser investigated the formation of molecular hydrogen upon interaction of ionizing radiation (energetic electrons) with simple hydrides like methane ices. This work is still in progress.
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- A search for Main Belt Comets in Pan-STARRS 1
- A search for primordial water from deep in the Earth's mantle
- A search for primordial water from deep in the Earthâs mantle
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- Acquisition and Installation of a new Cameca ims 1280 ion microprobe
- Acquisition and Installation of Witec Confocal Raman microscope scanning system
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- Chemistry and biology of ultramafic-hosted alkaline springs
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- FMARS Long Duration Mission: a simulation of manned Mars exploration in an analogue environment, Devon Island, Canada
- Formation and Detection of Hot-Earth Objects in Systems with Close-in Jupiters
- Formation and the Prospects of the Detection of Habitable Planets in Extreme Planetary Systems
- Formation of Molecular Hydrogen via Interaction of Ionizing Radiation with Hydrocarbon Ices in the Interstellar Medium
- Formation of Planetesimals in a Dynamically Evolving Nebula
- FU ORIONIS ERUPTIONS
- Ice Ages on Mars
- Ice at the Mars Phoenix Landing Site
- Ice on Main Belt Comets
- Icelandic subglacial lakes
- Mechanisms of Marine Microbial Community Structuring
- Mechanistical Studies on the Non-Equilibrium Chemistry of Unusual Carbon Oxide in Solar System Ices
- Modeling grain surface reaction pathways for large organic molecules
- Molecular Deuteration on grain surfaces
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- Observations and Models of comet 17P/Holmes
- Origin and Activation Mechanism of Main Belt Comets
- Origin of Irregular Satellites
- Recovery of comet 85P/Boethin for the Deep Impact Extended Mission
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- Sleeping through the Arctic Martian Sol
- Spectropolarimetric studies of stars with hot jupiters
- TES study of intracrater low albedo deposits, Amazonis Planitia, Mars
- The delivery of short-lived radionucleides to the solar system
- The effect of lunar-like satellites on the orbital infrared lightcurves of Earth-analog planets
- The Main Belt distribution of basaltic asteroids
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- THE VYSOS PROJECT
- Ultra-violet processing of ices in the Rosette Nebula
- Unveiling the evolution and interplay of ice and gas in quiescent clouds
- Variable Young Stellar Objects Survey (VYSOS)
- Water on Mars
- X-ray- and UV-bright low-mass stars in the solar neighborhood