Rate coefficients for the formation of 12CO and 13CO isotopologues of carbon monoxide by radiative association for T = 10–20 000 K are calculated using a quantum mechanical approach. It is shown that the presence of the potential barrier on the A1Π electronic state of CO leads to different formation channels for the isotopologues at low temperatures. The corresponding rate coefficients are fitted to an analytic formula.

The Rosetta mission provided detailed observations of the growth of a cavity in the solar wind around comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko. As the comet approached the Sun, the plasma of cometary origin grew enough in density and size to present an obstacle to the solar wind. Our results demonstrate how the initial slight perturbations of the solar wind prefigure the formation of a solar wind cavity, with a particular interest placed on the discontinuity (solar wind cavity boundary) passing over the spacecraft. The slowing down and heating of the solar wind can be followed and understood in terms of single particle motion. We propose a simple geometric illustration that accounts for the observations, and shows how a cometary magnetosphere is seeded from the gradual steepening of an initially slight solar wind perturbation. A perspective is given concerning the difference between the diamagnetic cavity and the solar wind cavity.

When interacting, the solar wind and the ionised atmosphere of a comet exchange energy and momentum. Our aim is to understand the influence of the average Parker spiral configuration of the solar wind magnetic field on this interaction. We compare the theoretical expectations of an analytical generalised gyromotion with Rosetta observations at comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. A statistical approach allows one to overcome the lack of upstream solar wind measurement. We find that additionally to their acceleration along (for cometary pick-up ions) or against (for solar wind ions) the upstream electric field orientation and sense, the cometary pick-up ions are drifting towards the dawn side of the coma, while the solar wind ions are drifting towards the dusk side of the coma, independent of the heliocentric distance. The dynamics of the interaction is not taking place in a plane, as often assumed in previous works.

Rate coefficients for the formation of carbon monoxide (CO) by radiative association of carbon and oxygen atoms are computed using quantum dynamical simulations. At temperatures above 10 K CO radiative association is dominated by C(3P) and O(3P) approaching on the A1Π potential energy curve. The rate coefficient is estimated as k=A(T/300 K)αexp−β/T with A= 1.39 × 10−18 cm3 s−1, α=−0.016 and β= 92.2 for temperatures between 6 and 127.2 K, and A= 1.36 × 10−17 cm3 s−1, α= 0.41 and β= 340 for temperatures between 127.2 and 15 000 K. Furthermore we computed the rate coefficients for approaching on the X1Σ+ curve. For temperatures below 200 K it is between 0.7 × 10−22 and 4 × 10−22 cm3 s−1.

The thermal rate constant for production of carbon monoxide, in its electronic ground state, through radiative association of carbon (C) and oxygen (O) atoms is computed. A combination of quantum and classical dynamics methods are employed. In particular, we investigate the importance of the mechanism where C and O approach each other on the 21Σ+ potential energy curve. Accounting for this reaction turns out to add about 75 per cent to the rate constant at 10000 K. We expect the results to be important for studies of the chemistry in interstellar gas, particularly in metal-rich ejecta of supernovae. Since a significant isotope effect has been predicted previously both stable carbon isotopes 12C and 13C are considered in the present study.

Formation of HCl in its electronic ground state through radiative association is studied. We ignore spin-orbit couplings and then the formation can happen through two dipole-allowed reactions, one involving an electronic transition and one where the H and Cl atoms approach and remain in the ground electronic molecular state. The radiative association rate constant is computed, through a combination of classical and quantum methods, for use in modelling of interstellar chemistry

Ice crystal clouds in the upper troposphere can generate polarization signals at the μK level. This signal can seriously affect very sensitive ground-based searches for E and B modes of cosmic microwave background polarization. In this paper, we estimate this effect within the ...

The rate coefficients and the cross-sections for the formation of imidogen (NH) molecule (and its isotopologues: 15NH and ND) through radiative association are determined by employing quantum mechanical perturbation theory, classical Larmor formula, and Breit–Wigner theory. We suggest the radiative association process as possible route for NH production in diffuse interstellar clouds.

We theoretically estimate formation rate coefficients for CO⁺ through the radiative association of C⁺(²P) with O(³P). In 1989, Petuchowski et al. claimed radiative association to be the most important route for CO⁺ formation in SN 1987A. In 1990, Dalgarno, Du and You challenged this claim. Therefore, in this study, we improve previous estimates of the radiative association rate coefficients for forming CO⁺ from C⁺(²P) and O(³P). To do this, we perform quantum mechanically based perturbation theory calculations as well as semiclassical calculations, which are combined with Breit–Wigner theory in order to add the effect of shape resonances. We explicitly include four electronic transitions. The required potential energy and transition dipole-moment curves are obtained through large basis set multireference configuration interaction electronic structure calculations. We report cross-sections and from these we obtain rate coefficients in the range of 10 –10 000 K, finding that the CO⁺ formation rate coefficient is larger than the previous estimate by Dalgarno et al. Still our results support their claim that in SN 1987A, CO is mainly formed through radiative association and not through the charge transfer reaction CO⁺ + O → CO + O⁺ as earlier suggested by Petuchowski et al.