Uptake of Mg and K on ice: Effect of sublimation and energetic particle bombardment

Uptake of metals on water ice can occur in polar mesospheric clouds (PMCs) in the mesosphere of Earth, on icy bodies in space and in the interstellar medium (ISM). Uptake of metals on icy particles could have implications for the surface and gas phase chemistry of the mesosphere. While in the ISM, the interactions of metals with water ice could affect processes relating to the agglomeration of matter into planets. In this study we experimentally investigate Mg and K embedded in water ice. Mg and K dosed ice films were prepared under ultra-high vacuum conditions in the laboratory at temperatures ≤ 140 K. Metal dosed ice films were subjected to temperature programmed desorption (TPD) and energetic ion bombardment (Ar+ and Kr+). TPD experiments revealed that negligible Mg and K containing species were co-desorbed with the ice film. This was also previously observed for Fe and suggests that metals contained within sublimating PMC particles in the mesosphere (or Icy particles in the ISM) may not be released into the gas phase. Instead, the metallic species could coalesce leading to the formation of residual particles. Energetic sputtering of metal dosed ice layers by 500 eV energy Ar+ and Kr+ efficiently removed the metals and highlighted significant differences between the two regarding their distribution within the ice layer.