Laboratory Experiments on Carbonaceous and Silicate Materials

Abstract

AbstractGround-based, remote and “in situ” observations show that dust plays an important role in the evolution of interstellar, circumstellar and interplanetary media. Despite the wealth of available astronomical data, a main item to be clarified concerns the actual chemico-physical composition of cosmic dust. A correct interpretation of observations must rely on a systematic comparison with results coming from laboratory simulations. In this paper we present an overview of recent results, obtained in our laboratory, on various forms of carbon-based and silicate grains of possible astrophysical interest.