Description
Sulphur is one of six essential elements to create life as we know it. Tracing the chemical pathways of sulfur-containing molecules that could be present in molecular clouds and planetary atmospheres is important to understand the delivery of sulfur to forming planetary systems. Among possible sulfur reservoirs, sulphur allotropes are potential candidates. Octasulfur is the most stable sulfur allotrope. We have measured the infrared absorption cross-section of solid S8 and compare this to the gas-phase absorption properties. These data will constrain the detectability of octasulfur in the interstellar medium (ISM). Sulfur allotropes are exposed to UV irradiation in the ISM. We have measured the near-UV absorption cross-section of gas phase octasulfur and compare this to quantum-chemical calculations. We find strong UV absorption over a wide wavelength range, suggesting that octasulfur can be easily photo-dissociated under interstellar conditions.
| Talk category | NOVA Network 2 |
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