Infrared attenuation due to phase change from amorphous to crystalline observed in astrochemical propargyl ether ices

Abstract

Astrochemical ices are known to undergo morphological changes, from amorphous to crystalline, upon warming the ice from lower (10 K) to higher temperatures. Phase changes are mostly identified by the observation of significant changes in the InfraRed (IR) spectrum, where the IR bands that are broad in the amorphous phase are narrower and split when the ice turns crystalline. To-date all the molecules that are studied under astrochemical conditions are observed to follow such a behaviour without significant attenuation in the IR wavelength. However, in this paper we report a new observation when propargyl ether (C3H3OC3H3) is warmed from the amorphous phase, at 10 K, through the phase transition temperature of 170 K, the crystalline ice being found to strongly attenuate IR photons at the mid-IR wavelengths.