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The Physics Of Grain-Grain Collisions And Gas-Grain Sputtering In Interstellar Shocks, A G. Tielens, C F. Mckee, C G. Seab, D J. Hollenbach

Physics Faculty Publications

Grain-grain collisions and ion sputtering destroy dust grains in interstellar shocks. An analytical theory is developed for the propagation of shock waves in solids driven by grain-grain collisions, which compares very favorably with detailed numerical calculations. This theory is used to determine the fraction of a grain vaporized by a grain-grain collision. Our results predict much less vaporization of colliding grains in interstellar shocks than previous estimates. This theory can also be used to determine the fraction of a colliding grain that melts, shatters, or undergoes a phase transformation to a higher density phase. In particular, the latter two processes …