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Abstract
Charge transfer can affect both the ionization and thermal balance of astrophysical plasmas. Using the most recent rate coefficients and energy defects, we calculate the heating/cooling rates for charge transfer reactions between hydrogen and elements up to Z=30. We incorporate these values into the photoionization code CLOUDY. Results from models approximating a wide range of astrophysical objects and conditions suggest that charge transfer can make a significant contribution to the heating near the H ionization front, particularly in objects with a hard ionizing continuum or enhanced abundances. Charge transfer heating can also be important in regimes in which the usual heating/cooling agents are suppressed, such as the emission-line clouds near quasars. We list those reactions that are most important for determining the thermal balance, in the hopes of facilitating improved atomic data.
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
5-10-1999
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/312008
Repository Citation
Kingdon, J. B. and Ferland, Gary J., "The Effects of Charge Transfer on the Thermal Equilibrium of Photoionized Nebulae" (1999). Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications. 113.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/physastron_facpub/113
Notes/Citation Information
Published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, v. 516, no. 2, p. L107-L109.
© 1999. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A.
The copyright holder has granted permission for posting the article here.