Swift heavy ion modifications of astrophysical water ice

International audienceIn the relatively shielded environments provided by interstellar dense clouds in our Galaxy, infraredastronomical observations have early revealed the presence of low temperature (10–100 K) ice mantlescovering tiny grain ‘‘cores” composed of more refractory material. These ices are of specific interestbecause they constitute an interface between a solid phase under complex evolution triggered by energeticprocesses and surface reactions, with a rich chemistry taking place in the gas phase. The interstellarice mantles present in these environments are immersed, in addition to other existing radiations fields, ina flux of cosmic ray particles that can produce new species via radiolysis processes, but first affects theirstructure, which may change and also induces desorption of molecules and radicals from these grains.Theses cosmic rays are simulated by swift ions in the laboratory for a better understanding of astrophysicalprocesses