Division XII / Commission 14 / Working Group Solids and Their Surfaces

TL;DR

This paper discusses recent advances in understanding the interactions of atoms and molecules with dust grains in the interstellar medium, driven by new observational data from space telescopes like Herschel, SOFIA, and ALMA.

Contribution

It highlights the need for detailed knowledge of atom/molecule-solid interactions to interpret new astronomical observations of dust and ices in space.

Findings

Enhanced understanding of dust grain chemistry from recent observations

Identification of key molecules formed on dust surfaces

Emphasis on laboratory astrophysics to support space data analysis

Abstract

The ISO and Spitzer space observatories yielded a treasure trove of data on dust and ices covering dust grains. Now Herschel, and soon SOFIA and ALMA, will provide unprecedented views of the molecular world of the interstellar medium (ISM). It is on dust grains that key ISM molecules, such as hydrogen, formaldehyde, methanol, and water are formed. As a result of these new observations, there is a great need to know more about the interaction processes of atoms and molecules with dust grains. (The Proceedings of the 2010 NASA Laboratory Astrophysics Workshop (http://www-cfadc.phy.ornl.gov/nasa_law/) give a good view of recent accomplishments in the study of atom/molecule - solid interactions as well as other aspects of laboratory astrophysics.)