Publications by authors named "D Fulvio"

Article Synopsis
  • Ceres has notable amounts of aliphatic organics, with concentrations ranging from 5 to over 30 weight % in certain areas of its surface.
  • The origins and longevity of these organics are questioned, especially since radiation levels in Ceres' orbit should typically break them down, complicating their detection.
  • Laboratory experiments suggest that organic materials degrade quickly under radiation, indicating that buried organics may have been exposed in the recent past, and estimates show the initial abundance of aliphatics could be 2 to 30 times higher than what is currently observed.
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Article Synopsis
  • Researchers investigated how heat and UV light interact to produce complex organic molecules in cosmic ice analogues at different temperatures (75, 120, and 150 K), relevant to the environments where stars and planets form.
  • The combination of heat and UV irradiation led to the detection of multiple complex molecules, including acetaldehyde, urea, and tentatively glycine, indicating their potential as prebiotic building blocks.
  • Experiments showed that reactions were more effective on flat KBr substrates than on amorphous silicate grains, suggesting that the unique properties of cosmic dust affect surface chemistry significantly.
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Article Synopsis
  • Understanding life’s origins involves studying prebiotic systems through physical, chemical, and biological lenses, focusing on Complex Organic Molecules (COMs) as potential prebiotic precursors.
  • COMs have been identified in various astrophysical settings, including interstellar clouds and comets, but the exact processes behind their formation remain unclear.
  • Laboratory experiments simulating space conditions provide insights into COMs' formation and evolution, and the review discusses prevalent detection techniques, their pros and cons, and offers perspectives on emerging methods to address existing experimental hurdles.
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Water ice exists on many objects in space. The most abundant icy species, among them water, are present in the icy satellites of the outer Solar System giant planets. The nuclei of comets, which are mainly composed of water ice, give another example of its abundance.

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We present a novel experimental study on solid CHDOH pure and in astrophysical relevant mixtures. Solid samples were accreted under ultra high vacuum conditions at 17 K and were analyzed by mid-infrared transmission spectroscopy. Refractive index, density, and mid-IR band strength values were measured for pure solid CHDOH.

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