We studied the dynamic properties of ion guiding through nanocapillaries in insulating polyethylene terephthalate. The angular distribution of the transmitted ions was measured as a function of the charge deposited on the sample surface, which is a measure of time. The time evolution of the angular transmission profiles was acquired for the capillary diameters of 200 and $400\mathrm{nm}$. The tilt angle was varied from 0° to 6.5°. The transmission profiles appear as a superposition of essentially three localized peaks which exhibit significant changes in intensity as time varies. This observation provides evidence for the formation of temporary charge patches produced in the interior of the capillary besides the primary charge patch created in the entrance region.

Sulfur is the tenth most abundant element in the universe and is known to play a significant role in biological systems. Accordingly, in recent years there has been increased interest in the role of sulfur in astrochemical reactions and planetary geology and geochemistry. Among the many avenues of research currently being explored is the laboratory processing of astrophysical ice analogues. Such research involves the synthesis of an ice of specific morphology and chemical composition at temperatures and pressures relevant to a selected astrophysical setting (such as the interstellar medium or the surfaces of icy moons). Subsequent processing of the ice under conditions that simulate the selected astrophysical setting commonly involves radiolysis, photolysis, thermal processing, neutral-neutral fragment chemistry, or any combination of these, and has been the subject of several studies. The in-situ changes in ice morphology and chemistry occurring during such processing are often monitored via spectroscopic or spectrometric techniques. In this paper, we have reviewed the results of laboratory investigations concerned with sulfur chemistry in several astrophysical ice analogues. Specifically, we review (i) the spectroscopy of sulfur-containing astrochemical molecules in the condensed phase, (ii) atom and radical addition reactions, (iii) the thermal processing of sulfur-bearing ices, (iv) photochemical experiments, (v) the non-reactive charged particle radiolysis of sulfur-bearing ices, and (vi) sulfur ion bombardment of and implantation in ice analogues. Potential future studies in the field of solid phase sulfur astrochemistry are also discussed in the context of forthcoming space missions, such as the NASA James Webb Space Telescope and the ESA Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer mission.

We studied the dynamic properties of ion guiding through nanocapillaries etched in insulating polycarbonate (PC). Capillaries with diameters of 95 and 165~nm and a length of 10~$\mu${}m were used. In a further sample, the capillaries had a diameter of 175~nm and a length of 30~$\mu${}m. A few additional measurements were made using capillaries in polyethylene terephthalate (PET). The temporal evolution of the intensity and the angular distribution of the transmitted ions were studied by measuring transmission profiles as a function of the charge deposited on the sample surface. The tilt angle of the capillary axis was varied from 0\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} to 5\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}. The mean emission angle of the transmission profiles exhibit pronounced oscillations, similarly as in previous measurements using PET. However, for PC, nearly an order of magnitude more charge needs to be inserted into the capillaries to accomplish the oscillations. In contrast to PET, with PC, we observed a strong decrease of the profile intensities with irradiation time. This observation provides evidence of blocking effects on the ions, which are likely to be due to a repulsive field produced by significant charge deposition inside the PC capillaries.

A relatively large yield of neutralized atoms was observed when 3 keV Ar7+ ions were guided trough polyethylene terephthalate nanocapillaries. Time and deposited-charge dependence of the angular distribution of both the guided ions and the neutrals was measured simultaneously using a two-dimensional multichannel plate detector. The yield of neutrals increased significantly faster than that of guided ions and saturated typically at a few percent level. In accordance with earlier observations, both the yield and the mean emission angle of the guided ions exhibited strong oscillations. For the atoms, the equilibrium was achieved not only faster, but also without significant oscillations in yield and angular position. A phase analysis of these time dependencies provides insight into the dynamic features of the self-organizing mechanisms, which leads to ion guiding in insulating nanocapillaries.