A statistical investigation of the rate constants for the H+ + HD reaction at temperatures of astrophysical interest.

The H+ + HD(v, j) reaction has been investigated in detail by means of a statistical quantum method. State-to-state cross sections and rate constants for transitions between reactants and rovibrational states HD(v', j') of the product arrangement with energies below 0.9 eV collision energy [that is, HD(v = 0, j = 0-11) and HD(v = 1, j = 0-6)] have been calculated. For the other product channel, D+ + H2(v', j'), rovibrational states up to (v' = 0, j' = 9) have been considered for the calculation of the corresponding thermal rate. Present predictions are compared with previously reported theoretical and experimental rates. Finally, cooling functions for HD due to proton and atomic hydrogen collisions are computed in the low-density regime. We find that the much larger HD-H+ cooling function, as compared with that of HD-H, does not compensate for the low H+/H abundance ratio in astrophysical media so that HD cooling is dominated by HD-H (or HD-H2) collisions.

Rate constants for the H+ + H2 reaction from 5 K to 3000 K with a statistical quantum method.

An exhaustive investigation of state-to-state H+ + H2(v, j) → H+ + H2(v', j') transitions for rovibrational levels of molecular hydrogen below 1.3 eV from the bottom of the H2 well is carried out by means of a statistical quantum method, which assumes the complex-forming nature of the process. Integral cross sections for transitions involving states H2(v = 0, j = 0-12), H2(v = 1, j = 0-8), and H2(v = 2, j = 0-3) are obtained for collision energies within a range of Emin = 10-5 eV and Emax = 2 eV. Rate constants are then calculated between T = 5 K and 3000 K, and they are compared, when possible, with previous values reported in the literature. As a first application, the cooling rate coefficient of H2 excited by protons is determined and compared with a recent estimate.

Nuclear-spin selection rules in the chemistry of interstellar nitrogen hydrides.

Nitrogen hydrides are at the root of the nitrogen chemistry in interstellar space. The detailed modeling of their gas phase formation, however, requires the knowledge of nuclear-spin branching ratios for chemical reactions involving multiprotonated species. We investigate in this work the nuclear-spin selection rules in both exothermic and near thermoneutral ion­molecule reactions involved in the synthesis of ammonia, assuming full scrambling of protons in the reaction complexes. The formalism of Oka [ J. Mol. Spectrosc. 2004, 228, 635] is employed for highly exothermic ion­molecule and dissociative recombination reactions. For thermoneutral reactions, a simple state-to-state statistical approach is suggested, which is in qualitative agreement with both quantum scattering and microcanonical statistical calculations. This model is applied to the seven atom reaction NH4(+) + H2, of possible importance in the nuclear-spin thermalization of ammonia.

Fine and hyperfine excitation of NH and ND by He: on the importance of calculating rate coefficients of isotopologues.

The NH and ND molecules play an important role in interstellar nitrogen chemistry. Accurate modeling of their abundance in space requires the calculation of rates for collisional excitation by the most abundant interstellar species. We calculate rate coefficients for the fine and hyperfine excitation of NH and ND by He. State-to-state rate coefficients between the first levels of NH and ND were obtained for temperatures ranging from 5 to 150 K. Fine structure resolved rate coefficients present a strong propensity rule in favor of Δj = ΔN transitions, as expected from theoretical considerations. The Δj = ΔF(1) = ΔF propensity rule is observed for the hyperfine transitions of both isotopologues. The two sets of fine structure resolved rate coefficients are compared in detail and we find significant differences between the two isotopologues. This comparison shows that specific calculations are necessary for the deuterated isotopologues of any hydride. The new rate coefficients will help significantly in the interpretation of NH and ND terahertz spectra observed with current and future telescopes, and enable these molecules to become a powerful astrophysical tool for studying the nitrogen chemistry.

Ammonium salts are a reservoir of nitrogen on a cometary nucleus and possibly on some asteroids.

The measured nitrogen-to-carbon ratio in comets is lower than for the Sun, a discrepancy which could be alleviated if there is an unknown reservoir of nitrogen in comets. The nucleus of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko exhibits an unidentified broad spectral reflectance feature around 3.2 micrometers, which is ubiquitous across its surface. On the basis of laboratory experiments, we attribute this absorption band to ammonium salts mixed with dust on the surface. The depth of the band indicates that semivolatile ammonium salts are a substantial reservoir of nitrogen in the comet, potentially dominating over refractory organic matter and more volatile species. Similar absorption features appear in the spectra of some asteroids, implying a compositional link between asteroids, comets, and the parent interstellar cloud.