Electron driven molecular dissociation

Astrophysically small molecules exist not just in quiescent cool clouds, which themselves are weakly ionized and therefore contain electrons, but also in much more active astrophysical regions such as planetary nebulae and diffuse interstellar clouds. These regions often contain significant numbers of free, quasi-thermal electrons, up to 10-4 compared to H2. These electrons can effect chemical change and drive observable spectroscopy processes (see A.J. Lim, I. Rabadan and J. Tennyson, MNRAS, 306, 473 (1999) for example); the cross sections between electrons and molecular ions are particularly large. Additionally electron molecule collisions are important elsewhere, for example they are the main driver behind planetary aurorae and many molecular masers. Models of all these regimes require data which is largely unknown and, in many cases, cannot be determined from laboratory based measurements. Over the last two decades the UCL group has developed the UK molecular R-matrix codes to provide a first principles, quantum mechanical treatment of the collision between low energy electrons and small molecules. This code has been used to treat collisions leading to rotational excitation involving important astrophysical ions (see for example A. Faure and J. Tennyson, MNRAS, 325, 443 (2001), A. Faure, J.D. Gorfinkiel and J. Tennyson, MNRAS 347, 323 (2004)). Recent observations of molecular emissions from C-shocked regions of the ISM (Jimenez-Serra et al, ApJ 650, L135 (2007)) showed that it is possible to recover local electron densities by using our electron molecule collisions calculations. Low-energy electrons also destroy molecules through dissociative recombination (DR for ions) and dissociative attachment (DA for neutrals). Cross sections for these processes are often hard to obtain. The present proposal is for a PhD student who will use the QuantemolN implementation of the UK polyatomic R- matrix code to study electron collisions with molecules of astrophysical interest and obtain dissociative cross sections. To do this the student will develop and test an add-on DA/DR estimator for Quantemol-N. A preliminary DA estimator developed by the company will provide the starting point for this work. The QuantemolN code, which will be provided by the company, is very suitable for these studies since it is an expert system which greatly increases the ease and speed with which a user can perform very technically demanding electron collision calculations. In return the student will assist the company in adding further features to this code to treat DA and DR. This project is proposed now since this feature has recently been requested by a Japanese industrial client of the company and a number of other users have expressed a strong interest. Adding to this functionality of the code is a strategic aim of Quantemol. The student will be provided training in performing electron molecule collision calculations, interpreting the results and using them in astronomical models and to interpret astronomical spectra. S/he will interact with people directly observing the processes, several of whom (for example Dr J Rawlings and Dr S Viti) are at UCL. S/he will also experience working with a small start up company which gives the opportunity to be involved both in the software development and in the interaction with other users of the code. This proposal follows a highly successful CASE studentship award to Dr HN Varambhia who used Quantemol-N to do studies on HCN, HNC, CS, CO and other astrophysically important systems (Eg Varambhia et al, Electron-impact rotational excitation of the carbon monosulfide (CS) molecule, MNRAS in press) which has been of immense benefit to the company by raising its scientific profile which led to new orders for the existing Quantemol-N package and interest in the others, from both the UK and abroad. Varambhia also added an electron impact ionization estimator to Quantemol-N.