Photodissociation and photoionization of molecules of astronomical interest: Updates to the Leiden photodissociation & photoionization cross section database

Context. VUV photons are important drivers of chemical processes in space. Thus, it is important to accurately characterize and constrain photo-rates in different radiationn fields, via the photodissociation and photoionization cross sections of individual atoms and molecules. These have been available in the Leiden VUV Photodissocation and Photoionization cross section database. Aims. Experimental and theoretical advances in the past decade or so have allowed multiple new cross sections to be obtained, particularly photoionization cross sections of radicals. The database is hereby updated by including these more recent cross sections and is also expanded with several astronomically relevant species. Methods. The cross sections have been used to calculate photodissociation and photoionization rates in several different radiation fields as well as from cosmic ray induced VUV fluxes. The reduction of rates in shielded regions was calculated as a function of dust, molecular and atomic hydrogen, atomic carbon, and self-shielding column densities. The relative importance of these shielding types is molecule/atom dependent, as well as the assumed dust absorbance. All the data are publicly available from the Leiden VUV cross section database. Results. The Leiden VUV cross section database has been updated with 14 new astrophysically relevant molecular species and 16 updates to previous entries. The database update is accompanied by a brief review of the basic physical processes, particularly toward photoionization processes which have not been reviewed in the context of previous database update