The knowledge of optical properties of tungsten at high temperatures is of crucial importance in fields such as nuclear fusion and aerospace applications. The optical properties of tungsten are well known at room temperature, but little has been done at temperatures between 300 K and 1000 K in the visible and near-infrared domains. Here, we investigate the temperature dependence of tungsten reflectivity from the ambient to high temperatures (<1000 K) in the 500–1050 nm spectral range, a region where interband transitions make a strong contribution. Experimental measurements, performed via a spectroscopic system coupled with laser remote heating, show that tungsten’s reflectivity increases with temperature and wavelength. We have described these dependences through a Fresnel and two Lorentz–Drude models. The Fresnel model accurately reproduces the experimental curve at a given temperature, but it is able to simulate the temperature dependency of reflectivity only thanks to an ad hoc choice of temperature formulae for the refractive indexes. Thus, a less empirical approach, based on Lorentz–Drude models, is preferred to describe the interaction of light and charge carriers in the solid. The first Lorentz–Drude model, which includes a temperature dependency on intraband transitions, fits experimental results only qualitatively. The second Lorentz–Drude model includes in addition a temperature dependency on interband transitions. It is able to reproduce the experimental results quantitatively, highlighting a non-trivial dependence of interband transitions as a function of temperature. Eventually, we use these temperature dependent Lorentz–Drude models to evaluate the total emissivity of tungsten from 300 K to 3500 K, and we compare our experimental and theoretical findings with previous results.

The amount of methanol in the gas phase and the CO depletion from the gas phase are still open problems in astrophysics. In this work, we investigate solid-state hydrogenation of CO-bearing species via H-exposure of carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, and methanol-thin films deposited on cold surfaces, paying attention to the possibility of a return to the gas phase. The products are probed via infrared spectroscopy (reflection absorption infrared spectroscopy), and two types of mass spectroscopy protocols: temperature-programmed desorption, and during-exposure desorption techniques. In the case of the [CO+H] reactive system, we have found that chemical desorption of CO is more efficient than H-addition reactions and HCO and H₂CO formation; the studies of the [H₂CO +H] reactive system show a strong competition between all surface processes, chemical desorption of H₂CO, H-addition (CH₃OH formation) and H-abstraction (CO formation); finally, [CH₃OH + H] seems to be a non-reactive system and chemical desorption of methanol is not efficient. CO-bearing species present a see-saw mechanism between CO and H₂CO balanced by the competition of H-addition and H₂-abstraction that enhances the CO chemical desorption. The chemical network leading to methanol has to be reconsidered. The methanol formation on the surface of interstellar dust grain is still possible through CO+H reaction; nevertheless, its consumption of adsorbed H atoms should be higher than previously expected.

Context. Many molecules observed in the interstellar medium are thought to result from the thermal desorption of ices. Parameters such as the desorption energy and pre-exponential frequency factor are essential in describing the desorption of molecules. Experimental determinations of these parameters are missing for many molecules, including those found in the interstellar medium. Aims. The objective of this work is to expand the number of molecules for which desorption parameters are available, by collecting and re-analysing experimental temperature programmed desorption data that are present in the literature. Methods. We used transition state theory (TST) in combination with the Redhead equation to determine the desorption parameters. Experimental data and molecular constants (e.g. mass, moment of inertia, etc.) were collected and given as input. Results. Using the Redhead-TST method, the desorption parameters for 133 molecules were determined. The Redhead-TST method is found to provide reliable results that agree well with desorption parameters determined on the basis of more rigorous experimental methods. The importance of using accurately determined pre-exponential frequency factors to simulate desorption profiles is highlighted here. The large amount of data allows us to look for trends, with the most important being the relationship log₁₀(v) = 2.65ln(m) + 8.07, where ν is the pre-exponential frequency factor and m is the mass of the molecule. Conclusions. The data collected in this work allow for the thermal desorption of molecules to be modeled, with the aim of helping improve our understanding of changes in the chemical and elemental composition of interstellar environments.

The knowledge of material properties and their behavior at high temperatures is of crucial importance in many fields. For instance, annealing phenomena occurring during the thermomechanical processing of materials, such as recrystallization, have long been recognized as being both of scientific interest and technological importance. Different methods are currently used to study annealing phenomena and submit metals to heat loads. In this work, we present the design and the development of a laser-based facility for annealing tests. This experimental setup enables studies at the laboratory scale with great flexibility to submit samples to various spatial and temporal heating profiles. Due to the possibility of having optical access to the sample, laser heating can be combined with several non-contact diagnostics such as infrared imaging to control and analyze the temperature gradients. As a case study, we present a set of experiments performed to study the recrystallization kinetics of tungsten. We demonstrate that samples can be heated linearly with heating rate up to ∼2000 K/s, at temperatures above 2000 K, for seconds or hours, with typical errors in the temperature measurement of around 1% that depend mainly on the determination of sample emissivity. Such studies are of crucial interest in the framework of nuclear fusion since the international thermonuclear experimental reactor nuclear reactor will operate with a full-W divertor.

We performed a direct comparison of deuterium retention and release from tungsten in presence or in absence of oxygen impurities. A single crystal of W(110) was used to prepare tungsten with four different surface states: with its native oxide, atomically clean, covered with half a monolayer of oxygen atoms, and covered with three fourths of a monolayer of oxygen atoms. For a D ion fluence of 3 × 10²¹ D⁺ m⁻² implanted at 300 K, deuterium retention was highest with the native oxide, lowest with three fourths of a monolayer of oxygen atoms at the surface and intermediate for the clean surface. This counterintuitive result is explained by a different localization of deuterium retention in these samples. For tungsten with its native oxide, deuterium retention occurs solely in the bulk, i.e. below the first atomic plane of the surface. For clean tungsten, deuterium retention occurs in part at the surface and sputtering should play a role. For tungsten with a sub-monolayer surface coverage of oxygen atoms, a transition from surface to bulk retention is observed above half a monolayer of adsorbed oxygen. Striking differences in desorption peak(s) temperature(s) are observed between D ion-implanted samples and D₂ molecules-exposed samples. These results highlight the importance of the (near-) surface localization of oxygen and deuterium on the temperature dependence of deuterium desorption rate i.e. on the fusion fuel recycling coefficient.