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Electrostatic activation of prebiotic chemistry in substellar atmospheres

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 January 2014

C. R. Stark ,
Ch. Helling ,
D. A. Diver  and
P. B. Rimmer
C. R. Stark*
Affiliation:
SUPA, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews, KY16 9SS, UK
Ch. Helling
Affiliation:
SUPA, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews, KY16 9SS, UK
D. A. Diver
Affiliation:
SUPA, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK
P. B. Rimmer
Affiliation:
SUPA, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews, KY16 9SS, UK
*
e-mail: craig.stark@st-andrews.ac.uk
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Abstract

Charged dust grains in the atmospheres of exoplanets may play a key role in the formation of prebiotic molecules, necessary to the origin of life. Dust grains submerged in an atmospheric plasma become negatively charged and attract a flux of ions that are accelerated from the plasma. The energy of the ions upon reaching the grain surface may be sufficient to overcome the activation energy of particular chemical reactions that would be unattainable via ion and neutral bombardment from classical, thermal excitation. As a result, prebiotic molecules or their precursors could be synthesized on the surface of dust grains that form clouds in exoplanetary atmospheres. This paper investigates the energization of the plasma ions, and the dependence on the plasma electron temperature, in the atmospheres of substellar objects such as gas giant planets. Calculations show that modest electron temperatures of ≈1 eV (≈104 K) are enough to accelerate ions to sufficient energies that exceed the activation energies required for the formation of formaldehyde, ammonia, hydrogen cyanide and the amino acid glycine.

Keywords

dustexoplanetsplasmasprebiotic chemistry
Type
Research Article
Information
International Journal of Astrobiology , Volume 13 , Issue 2: Special issue: Fifth UK Astrobiology Conference (ASB5) , April 2014 , pp. 165 - 172
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2014 

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