Ultraviolet photon-induced synthesis and trapping of H2O 2 and O3 in porous water ice films in the presence of ambient O2: Implications for extraterrestrial ice

Abstract

The mass uptake of ambient oxygen in nanoporous ice is enhanced by irradiation with 193 nm photons, due to conversion of O2 into H 2O2 and O3, with an efficiency that increases with decreasing temperature. These findings show a new way to form H 2O2 and O3 on icy surfaces in the outer solar system at depths much larger than are accessible by typical ionizing radiation, with possible astrobiological implications. © 2011. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.