The radiative association of P and O atoms

• Autor(a) principal: Andreazza, C. M. [UNESP]
• Data de Publicação: 2016
• Outros Autores: Almeida, A. A. de, Borin, A. C.
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Institucional da UNESP
• Texto Completo: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stw116; http://hdl.handle.net/11449/161378
• topic: atomic data; atomic processes; molecular data; circumstellar matter; ISM: molecules

The formation of PO from the radiative association of phosphorus and oxygen atoms has been estimated by accurate quantum chemistry calculations. The radiative association of P and O atoms along the B-2 Sigma(+) potential energy curve is the most efficient way of producing PO in the X-2 Pi ground state. For temperatures ranging between 300 and 14 000 K, the rate coefficients are found to vary from 1.61 x 10(-24) to 1.99 x 10(-18) cm(3)s(-1), respectively. These values indicate that only a very small amount of PO molecules can be formed by radiative association in dense and hot gas close to the photosphere of evolved oxygen-rich stars and other hostile environments.