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Carbon atoms can diffuse and react on the surface of interstellar ice

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Carbon atoms are one of the most abundant chemical species in the earliest stages of star formation. They had been thought to be immobile on the surface of interstellar ice, but laboratory experiments now show that a significant fraction of carbon atoms can move on the surface and react — changing our view of interstellar organic chemistry.

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Fig. 1: C2 formation from carbon-atom diffusion on ice surfaces.

References

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This is a summary of: Tsuge, M. et al. Surface diffusion of carbon atoms as a driver of interstellar organic chemistry. Nat. Astron. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-023-02071-0 (2023).

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Carbon atoms can diffuse and react on the surface of interstellar ice. Nat Astron 7, 1280–1281 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-023-02074-x

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