The role of ices in star-forming clouds

Max-Planck-Institüt für extraterrestrische Physik, Giessenbachstrasse 1, 85748 Garching, Germany

e-mail: seyit@mpe.mpg.de

Abstract

Ices play a critical role during the evolution of interstellar clouds. Their presence is ubiquitous in the dense molecular medium and their impact is not only limited to chemistry. Species adsorbed onto dust grains also affect cloud thermodynamics. It all depends on the interstellar conditions, the chemical parameters, and the composition of ice layers. In this work, I study the formation of ices by focusing on the interplay between gas and solid phase to determine their role on cloud evolution and star formation. I show that while the formation of ices greatly impacts the cloud chemistry, their role on the thermodynamics is more conservative, and their influence on star formation is only marginal.