Welcome!

I am a third-year graduate student in the Department of Astronomy at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian; working with Prof. Karin I. Öberg on the origins of chemical species in space and how these processes affect star and planet formation.

Here, you will find information about my research and links to my publications. If you have any questions about my work, feel free to email me.

Research Interests

I am interested in both experimental and observational astrochemistry. I am currently experimentally studying ice matrix entrapment in Interstellar Medium and Protoplanetary disks. My latest published project was completed with Prof. Karin I. Öberg on the ability of carbon dioxide to trap carbon monoxide molecules. Recently, I expended the entrapment capability of ices by working on hyper-volatiles (such as mathane, argon and nitrogen) to be entraped within water and carbon dioxide ice matrices. This expended work will result in a second paper (writting in progress).

CV

Click here to access my CV.

Publications

My research involves the experimental study of chemical processes during star and planet formation. A full list of my publications is available on NASA ADS.

Comparison of H2O and CO2 entrapment

Entrapment of CO into CO2 ice

Water ice is known for its ability to trap CO and other volatile species. In this study we explore whether another common interstellar and cometary ice component, CO2, is able to trap CO as well. We measure entrapment of CO molecules in CO2 ice through temperature-programmed desorption experiments on CO2:CO ice mixtures. We find that CO2 ice traps CO with a typical efficiency of 40%-60% of the initially deposited CO molecules for a range of ice thicknesses between 7 and 50 monolayers, and ice mixture ratios between 1:1 and 9:1. The entrapment efficiency increases with ice thickness and CO dilution. We also run analogous H2O:CO experiments and find that under comparable experimental conditions, CO2 ice entraps CO more efficiently than H2O ice up to the onset of CO2 desorption at ∼70 K.
DOI: 10.3847/1538-4357/ab32e5

Comparison of H2O and CO2 entrapment for hyper-volatiles

Entrapment of Hyper-Volatiles in Interstellar and Cometary CO2 and Water Ice Analogs

The goal of this project is to quantify the entrapment efficiencies of water and CO$_2$ ices for a range of hyper-volatiles (CO, CH4, 15N2 and Ar) using astrophysically relevant ice compositions, thicknesses, and deposition temperatures. The effect of ice deposition temperature will be studied by depositing different ice mixtures at different temperature.
DOI:

Contact Me

Email

alexia.simon@cfa.harvard.edu

Address

Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian
60 Garden St
Cambridge, MA 02138