The role of energetic processing on solid-phase chemistry in star forming regions

Abstract

It is generally accepted that complex molecules observed in star forming regions are formed in the solid phase on icy grain mantles and are released to the gas-phase after desorption of icy mantles. Most of our knowledge on the physical and chemical properties of ices in star forming regions is based on the comparison between observations and laboratory experiments performed at low temperature (10-100 K). Here we present some recent laboratory experiments which show the formation of (complex) molecular species after ion bombardment of simple ices.