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Insights into the condensation of PAHsin the envelope of IRC+10216

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 March 2011

C. Joblin ,
A.G.G.M. Tielens ,
L. Biennier ,
H. Sabbah ,
S.J. Klippenstein ,
V. Chandrasekaran ,
I.R. Sims  and
B.R. Rowe
L. Biennier
Affiliation:
Institut de Physique de Rennes, Équipe: “Astrochimie Expérimentale”, UMR CNRS 6251, Université de Rennes 1, Campus de Beaulieu, 35042 Rennes Cedex, France
H. Sabbah
Affiliation:
Current address: Zarelab, Chemistry Department, Stanford University, CA 94305, USA
S.J. Klippenstein
Affiliation:
Chemical Sciences and Engineering Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL 60439, USA
V. Chandrasekaran
Affiliation:
Current address: Institut des Sciences Moléculaires, UMR CNRS 5255, Université Bordeaux 1, 33405 Talence, France

Abstract

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The mechanisms of nucleation and growth of carbon dust particles in circumstellarenvelopes of carbon-rich stars in the red giant and AGB phases of their evolution arepoorly understood. It has been proposed that the transition of gas phase species to solidparticles,is achieved by the formation of a critical nucleus composed of two PAHs heldtogether by van der Waals forces. Some insights into the validity of the nucleation of PAHmolecules in the envelope can be gained through the investigation of the thermodynamics ofdimers,representing the first stage towards condensation. We have performed experimentsto identify the temperature range over which small PAH clusters form in saturated uniformsupersonic flows. The kinetics of the formation has also been investigated. Theexperimental data have been combined with theoretical calculations. We unambiguouslydemonstrate that the association of small PAHs such as pyrene(C16H10) is slower than the destruction of the dimer in warm andhot environments such as IRC +10216. Our findings challenge a formation model based on thephysical stacking of small PAH units in circumstellar shells of carbon rich stars.

Type
Research Article
Information
European Astronomical Society Publications Series , Volume 46: PAHs and the Universe: A Symposium to Celebrate the 25thAnniversary of the PAH Hypothesis , 2011 , pp. 191 - 199
Copyright
© EAS, EDP Sciences 2011

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