Missing Fe: hydrogenated iron nanoparticles

Bilalbegović, Goranka; Maksimović, Aleksandar; Mohaček Grošev, Vlasta (2017) Missing Fe: hydrogenated iron nanoparticles. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters, 466 (1). L14-L18. ISSN 1745-3933

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Abstract

Although it was found that the FeH lines exist in the spectra of some stars, none of the spectral features in the interstellar medium (ISM) have been assigned to this molecule. We suggest that iron atoms interact with hydrogen and produce Fe-H nanoparticles which sometimes contain many H atoms.We calculate infrared spectra of hydrogenated iron nanoparticles using density functional theory methods and find broad, overlapping bands. Desorption of H2 could induce spinning of these small Fe-H dust grains. Some of hydrogenated iron nanoparticles possess magnetic and electric moments and should interact with electromagnetic fields in the ISM. FenHm nanoparticles could contribute to the polarization of the ISM and the anomalous microwave emission. We discuss the conditions required to form FeH and FenHm in the ISM.

Item Type:

Article

Additional Information:

This work was done using computer resources at the University of Zagreb Computing Centre SRCE and at the Rudjer Boskovic Institute. GB acknowledges the support of the HRZZ grant IP-2014-09-8656 'Stars and dust: structure, composition and interaction', as well as of the QuantiXLie Center of Excellence. We are grateful to the anonymous referee for useful comments. This research has made use of NASA's Astrophysics Data System Bibliographic Services.

Uncontrolled Keywords:

astrochemistry; methods: numerical; stars: individual: IRC+10216; ISM: lines and bands; ISM: magnetic fields; ISM: molecules

Subjects:

NATURAL SCIENCES > Physics > Astronomy and Astrophysics

Divisions:

Division of Materials Physics

Projects: