초록
Ammonium ion (${NH_4}^+$) was suggested as the origin of interstellar $6.85\;{\mu}m$ band. Early study, in which organic molecule and water ice film mixtures were photolyzed so that organic acids could be produced, explained the generation of ${NH_4}^+$ from the reaction of photogenerated organic acid and ammonia ($NH_3$). However, the observed abundance of organic acids or their counter-anions are not so high in interstellar ice and not enough to protonate $NH_3$ into ${NH_4}^+$ in the observed level. Because of the shortage in photogenerated organic acids, the candidate of acid which protonates $NH_3$ should be modified. Here, we prepare $NH_3/H_2O$ binary mixtures and photolyze them with vacuum ultraviolet (VUV, peak at 10.6 and 10.0 eV). We find the ammonium ion (${NH_4}^+$) from photolyzed mixture by using low energy sputtering (LES) and reflection absorption IR spectroscopy (RAIRS). As a hydronium ($H_3O^+$) can be produced by UV irradiation and protonate bases, ${NH_4}^+$ may be formed from the reaction of photogenerated $H_3O^+$ and $NH_3$. We show the generation of ${NH_4}^+$ without any kind of organic molecules or acids, and it may explain the relatively high abundance of ${NH_4}^+$ compared to the counter-anions or organic acids in interstellar ice.