Collision Induced Dissociation of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons

by Kostiantyn Kulyk (Atomic Physics Department)

Monday 7 Apr 2014, 10:00 → 11:00 Europe/Stockholm

FA31

The results of Collision Induced Dissociation (CID) experiments between Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon (PAH) ions and noble gases conducted at center-of-mass energies (for helium) of around 100 eV will be presented. PAH molecules are an abundant and ubiquitous component of the interstellar media of galaxies; however the processes by which PAHs and other large carbon molecules (e.g. fullerenes) are formed and destroyed in the interstellar medium are not fully understood. The results of experiments on collisions between PAH ions and atoms, particularly in the energy regime that is relevant to collisions of energetic particles and PAHs in supernova explosions and plasma shocks, differ qualitatively from previous work in the single carbon atom loss channel, which is much more prominent than is typically observed in thermally driven processes. This has important implications for astrochemistry by suggesting efficient routes to highly reactive fragments with unsaturated carbon atoms and molecular growth processes.