Electron impact ionization of prebiotic interstellar molecules

Abstract

This article presents an investigation into the electron impact ionization of diverse prebiotic molecules that exist within the interstellar medium. Specifically, the molecules under consideration here include ethylene glycol, ethanolamine, glycolonitrile, aminoacetonitrile, acetamide, and glycolaldehyde. These molecules hold the potential to serve as precursor compounds, playing a critical role in the formation of essential building blocks necessary for life’s emergence. To understand the chemistry in these regions when such molecules interact with particles like electrons, we require reaction rates and cross sections. In this work, the electron impact ionization cross section is calculated using the robust optical potential approach and the complex scattering potential-ionization cross section method over a wide range of energies from 10 eV to 5000 eV on a fine grid. The incorporation of screening correction in this approach effectively addresses the superimposition of charge densities originating from distinct atoms within each molecule. Additionally, the binary-encounter Bethe ionization cross section is computed to facilitate comparison and validation of the presented data.