Graphene etching on SiC grains as a path to interstellar polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons formation

Abstract : Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons appear among the most abundant observed species in interstellar space and are key molecules to understanding the prebiotic roots of life. However, their existence and abundance in space remain a puzzle. We have shown that aromatic species can be efficiently formed on the graphitized surface of the abundant silicon carbide stardust on exposure to atomic hydrogen under pressure and temperature conditions analogous to those of the interstellar medium, mimicked here.