Abstract
This paper reports results from an experiment designed to measure the nascent rovibrational population of H2 molecules that have formed through the heterogeneous recombination of H atoms on the surface of cosmic dust analogues under conditions approaching those of the interstellar medium (ISM). H2 that has formed on a highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) surface has been detected, using laser induced resonance-enhanced multi-photon ionization (REMPI), in the v = 1 (J= 0–3) rovibrational states at surface temperatures of 30 K and 50 K. These excited product molecules display rotational temperatures significantly higher than the target surface temperature. These first results suggest that a considerable proportion of the binding energy released on formation of the H2 is deposited in the surface, in addition to internal excitation of the product molecules.
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