Study of Photon Sputtering of H2O Ices Under In-Situ Conditions

这些研究人员的目标是在实验室研究从真空紫外光到极端紫外波长区的分子水冰的太阳光子溅射。冰层的温度将被选择来模拟现实的行星条件。在彗星、小行星、冰行星、卫星、光环和星际尘埃颗粒等许多天文环境中，原子和分子从天文材料表面溅射是一个重要的质量传递和演化过程。用于溅射的激发源有太阳光子、太阳风、磁层粒子和微陨石。高能离子溅射的实验已经在几个实验室进行。然而，太阳光子溅射的情况并非如此。目前的理论和模型计算假定太阳光子能量直接转化为热量，从而控制天文物质的蒸发。由于没有所需的数据，因此没有包括溅射造成的质量损失。吴博士和贾奇所做的实验应该提供这些数据。

The goal of these researchers is to study solar photon sputtering of molecular water ices from the vacuum ultraviolet through the extreme ultraviolet wavelength region in the laboratory. The temperatures for the ices will be chosen to simulate realistic planetary conditions. Sputtering of atoms and molecules from surfaces of astronomical materials is an important process for mass transfer and evolution in a number of astronomical environments, such as comets, asteroids, icy planets, satellites, rings, and interstellar dust grains. The excitation sources for sputtering are solar photons, solar wind, magnetospheric particles, and micrometeorites. Experiments on sputtering by energetic ions have been carried out in several laboratories. However, this is not the case for solar photon sputtering. Current theories and model calculations assume that the solar photon energies are directly converted into heat which controls the vaporization of the astronomical material. Mass loss due to sputtering has not been included since the required data are not available. The experiments performed by Drs. Wu and Judge should supply those data.