Ural Federal University (UrFU) has begun assembling a unique ultra-high vacuum cryogenic facility that will allow studying the formation of molecules in conditions close to the interstellar medium.
The equipment, of which there are only three similar in the country, is planned to be commissioned by the end of 2025. The project is funded by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation as part of support for young scientists.
The new facility will be an improved version of the system launched at UrFU in 2022. It includes:
- helium cryostat to reach temperatures close to absolute zero;
- atomic beams generating streams of hydrogen and oxygen;
- turbomolecular pumps creating ultra-low pressure;
- an electron gun simulating the effect of cosmic rays on ice particles.
We cannot accelerate atoms to 1/3 the speed of light, as in space, but with the help of a gun we study secondary electrons that occur when rays collide with ice
The facility will recreate the conditions of young star systems: ultraviolet radiation, low temperatures (-263°C) and pressure billions of times lower than atmospheric. This will allow studying how complex molecules, including organic compounds, are formed in interstellar ice under the influence of cosmic factors.
The first UrFU system has already helped determine the amount of methane in the IRAS 23385+6053 star-forming region. The new facility will expand capabilities: scientists will be able to analyze in more detail the processes leading to the formation of prebiotic substances — the "building blocks" of life.
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