Equilibrium Temperatures of H2O, Co2 and NH3 Ice Grains in the Solar System

Abstract

AbstractThe equilibrium temperatures of spherical grains of pure H2O, CO2 and NH3 ice in the solar system are computed at heliocentric distances ranging from 1 AU out to (> 1500 AU) where solar illumination becomes negligible compared to galactic and extra-galactic light; the grain size range is from submicron to tens of meter in diameter. These results are based on recently published optical constants and on the use of the “complex angular momentum” (CAM) theory for computing the interaction of the grains with light.