The origin of oxygen on Earth and other planets is a fundamental question. This paper presents experimental evidence of three-body dissociation (TBD) of H₂O producing O atoms upon vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) excitation using a tunable VUV free electron laser. TBD is shown to be the dominant pathway in VUV H₂O photochemistry (90-107.4 nm). The abundance of water in interstellar space suggests TBD of H₂O and subsequent O atom recombination is a significant prebiotic O₂ production pathway, requiring incorporation into interstellar photochemical models.
Publisher
Nature Communications
Published On
Apr 30, 2021
Authors
Yao Chang, Yong Yu, Feng An, Zijie Luo, Donghui Quan, Xia Zhang, Xixi Hu, Qinming Li, Jiayue Yang, Zhichao Chen, Li Che, Weiqing Zhang, Guorong Wu, Daiqian Xie, Michael N. R. Ashfold, Kaijun Yuan, Xueming Yang
Tags
oxygen
water
photochemistry
three-body dissociation
interstellar space
O₂ production
vacuum ultraviolet
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