Physics and chemistry of interstellar polycyclic aromatic molecules
A. Omont;
AaA, 1986, 164, 159
ABSTRACT:The effects of different interstellar environments on the properties and behavior of polycyclic aromatic
hydrocarbons (PAHs) with 20-100 C atoms are investigated theoretically.
The
observational evidence for the existence of interstellar PAHs is summarized; six
model regions (NGC 7027, a dense H2-UV region, a reflection nebula, a diffuse
cloud, an extended molecular cloud, and a cold molecular condensation) are
briefly characterized; and the mechanisms determining the charge,
temperature, chemical properties, formation, growth, sputtering, and
destruction of PAHs in these models are explored in detail.
KEYWORDS: aromatic compounds, astrophysics, cosmic dust, hydrocarbons, interstellar chemistry, abundance, charged particles, energy distribution, molecular clouds, photoabsorption, photoionization, photolysis, radiative heat transfer, sputtering, surface reactions
CODE: omont86