Vacuum ultraviolet emission spectrum measurement of a microwave-discharge hydrogen-flow lamp in several configurations: Application to photodesorption of CO ice

Journal Article · Mon Jan 20 00:00:00 EST 2014 · Astrophysical Journal

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/781/1/15· OSTI ID:22348187

Chen, Y. -J.; Wu, C.-Y. R. ^[1]; Chuang, K. -J.; Chu, C. -C.; Yih, T. -S. ^[2]; Muñoz Caro, G. M. ^[3]; Nuevo, M. ^[4]

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1. Space Sciences Center and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089-1341 (United States)
2. Department of Physics, National Central University, Jhongli City, Taoyuan County 32054, Taiwan (China)
3. Centro de Astrobiología, INTA-CSIC, Torrejón de Ardoz, E-28850 Madrid (Spain)
4. NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035 (United States)

We report measurements of the vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) emission spectra of a microwave-discharge hydrogen-flow lamp (MDHL), a common tool in astrochemistry laboratories working on ice VUV photoprocessing. The MDHL provides hydrogen Ly-α (121.6 nm) and H{sub 2} molecular emission in the 110-180 nm range. We show that the spectral characteristics of the VUV light emitted in this range, in particular the relative proportion of Ly-α to molecular emission bands, strongly depend on the pressure of H{sub 2} inside the lamp, the lamp geometry (F type versus T type), the gas used (pure H{sub 2} versus H{sub 2} seeded in He), and the optical properties of the window used (MgF{sub 2} versus CaF{sub 2}). These different configurations are used to study the VUV irradiation of CO ice at 14 K. In contrast to the majority of studies dedicated to the VUV irradiation of astrophysical ice analogs, which have not taken into consideration the emission spectrum of the MDHL, our results show that the processes induced by photons in CO ice from a broad energy range are different and more complex than the sum of individual processes induced by monochromatic sources spanning the same energy range, as a result of the existence of multistate electronic transitions and discrepancy in absorption cross sections between parent molecules and products in the Ly-α and H{sub 2} molecular emission ranges.

• OSTI ID: 22348187
• Journal Information: Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 781, Issue 1; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0004-637X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

79 ASTROPHYSICS
COSMOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY
ABSORPTION
ASTROPHYSICS
CALCIUM FLUORIDES
CARBON MONOXIDE
CROSS SECTIONS
EMISSION
EMISSION SPECTRA
FAR ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION
HIGH-FREQUENCY DISCHARGES
HYDROGEN
ICE
IRRADIATION
MAGNESIUM FLUORIDES
MOLECULES
MONOCHROMATIC RADIATION
OPTICAL PROPERTIES
PHOTONS
VISIBLE RADIATION