| Pluto (former planet) and Triton (Neptune's largest moon) are thought to have formed from the pristine solar nebula that gave birth to our solar system. Their surfaces are chemically similar in many respects including being dominated by molecular nitrogen (N2), and the presence of methane (CH4) and carbon monoxide (CO). Over the age of the solar system, these ices have been subjected to radiation in the form of cosmic rays, magnetospheric particles (on Triton), and solar effects (the solar wind and a photon flux) that chemically modify the surfaces of these bodies. In order to better understand the unaltered material from which these bodies and the solar system formed and to achieve a glimpse of the surfaces today, it is necessary to investigate the elementary chemical reactions that have affected the surfaces of Pluto and Triton since their formation. In this thesis, we will investigate the radiation-induced chemistry of a number of simple ices and their mixtures that are relevant to the surfaces of Pluto and Triton including N2, N2:CH4, N2:CO, N 2:CO2, CO, and CO2. Experiments were carried out using energetic electrons as a source of radiation and the progress of chemical reactions were monitored by infrared spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. Several new molecules and interesting chemistries have been observed as a result of this low-temperature (40 K) non-equilibrium chemistry because the formation of terrestrially unstable molecules has been possible. It is our intent to develop an extensive picture of the types of reactions that are active in these outer solar system ices so that a broader understanding of the elementary chemical processes that occur in these environments can be obtained. |
