Interstellar solid hydrogen

We consider the possibility that solid molecular hydrogen is present in interstellar space. If so cosmic-rays and energetic photons cause ionization in the solid leading to the formation of H⁺₆. This ion is not produced by gas-phase reactions and its radiative transitions therefore provide a signature of solid H₂ in the astrophysical context. The vibrational transitions of H⁺₆ are yet to be observed in the laboratory, but we have characterized them in a quantum-theoretical treatment of the molecule; our calculations include anharmonic corrections, which are large. Here we report on those calculations and compare our results with astronomical data. In addition to the H⁺₆ isotopomer, we focus on the deuterated species (HD)⁺₃ which is expected to dominate at low ionization rates as a result of isotopic condensation reactions. We can reliably predict the frequencies of the fundamental bands for five modes of vibration. For (HD)⁺₃ all of these are found to lie close to some of the strongest of the pervasive mid-infrared astronomical emission bands, making it difficult to exclude hydrogen precipitates on observational grounds. By the same token these results suggest that (HD)⁺₃ could be the carrier of the observed bands. We consider this possibility within the broader picture of interstellar medium photo-processes and we conclude that solid hydrogen may indeed be abundant in astrophysical environments.