Ozone production in electron irradiated CO 2 :O 2 ices.

The detection of ozone (O 3 ) in the surface ices of Ganymede, Jupiter's largest moon, and of the Saturnian moons Rhea and Dione, has motivated several studies on the route of formation of this species. Previous studies have successfully quantified trends in the production of O 3 as a result of the irradiation of pure molecular ices using ultraviolet photons and charged particles ( i.e. , ions and electrons), such as the abundances of O 3 formed after irradiation at different temperatures or using different charged particles. In this study, we extend such results by quantifying the abundance of O 3 as a result of the 1 keV electron irradiation of a series of 14 stoichiometrically distinct CO 2 :O 2 astrophysical ice analogues at 20 K. By using mid-infrared spectroscopy as our primary analytical tool, we have also been able to perform a spectral analysis of the asymmetric stretching mode of solid O 3 and the variation in its observed shape and profile among the investigated ice mixtures. Our results are important in the context of better understanding the surface composition and chemistry of icy outer Solar System objects, and may thus be of use to future interplanetary space missions such as the ESA Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer and the NASA Europa Clipper missions, as well as the recently launched NASA James Webb Space Telescope .