Shape effects and size distributions of astrophysical dust particles

Abstract

In the infrared and visible wavelength ranges, the extinction cross-sections of small irregular particles are essentially proportional to the corresponding cross-sections for spheres of the same volume, which confirms a previous statement by Mathis. The situation differs for large disordered particles because of the contribution of large surface areas. The differences between irregular particles and homogeneous spheres of the same mass might depend on the material. For example, graphite particles are less sensitive to surface shapes than silicate particles. As a consequence, the successful fit of the average galactic extinction curve by an ensemble of graphite + silicate spherical particles, can also be replaced by a fit using an ensemble of irregular particles, including a smaller amount of silicate. Because the interstellar dust particles are expected to be generally of irregular shapes, the former fit with spherical particles could have overestimated the relative amount of silicate in the interstellar medium (ISM). In the same spirit, we discuss various interpretations of the remarkable stability of the 217.5-nm peak in the ISM extinction.