Numerical analysis of nanograin collision by classical molecular dynamics
Interstellar dust grains [1] comprise only 1% of the mass in the molecular clouds of galaxies and yet catalyze the formation of many gas phase molecules, in particular H2 [2], which allows for the cooling and collapse of these clouds and the formation of stars and planets. High-energy radiation and particles from hot stars, supernovae, or active black holes can alter the physical properties of dust grains and thereby affect their role in these processes. There is no experimental study on grain-grain collisions, for grain smaller than tens of microns, except for clusters with less than 100 atoms. Studies at the mm/cm scale can be roughly understood by continuum models, but these models might break down at the nanometer scale. There are many atomistic molecular dynamics (MD) simulations on the destruction of 3D droplets due to large temperature input [3], 2D solids [4, 5], or collision of disks [6], but there are very few simulations on grain-grain collisions, never going beyond tens of atoms [7, 8]. Here we demonstrate how MD simulations of grain-grain collisions for grain with more than 100 atoms can be used to understand what happens for nanometer-sized grains, colliding at relatively low velocities.
- Research Organization:
- Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-48
- OSTI ID:
- 917893
- Report Number(s):
- UCRL-PROC-234441; TRN: US200817%%1001
- Resource Relation:
- Journal Volume: 112; Journal Issue: 4; Conference: Presented at: Fifth International Conference on Inertial Fusion Sciences and Applications, Kobe, Japan, Sep 09 - Sep 14, 2007
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
An Integrated Software Package for Studying Structure-Property-Processing Relationships in Material Systems
Environmental Dependence of the Kennicutt-Schmidt Relation in Galaxies