Overview of Grain Models
Abstract
Description
The properties of interstellar grains can now be defined by a rapidly growing wealth of observational data. We rely upon models to combine these data with unobserved properties such as the size distribution of grains, their structure and shape, and their detailed chemical composition, in a self-consistent manner. I will review the observational constraints which define the boundaries for possible models and will then summarize the features of the three quasi-comprehensive grain models most commonly referred to in the current literature. I will conclude by discussing recent work dealing with single aspects of interstellar grains and the phenomena attributed to them.
IAU Symposium 197 on Astrochemistry: From Molecular Clouds to Planetary Systems, 14 pages
IAU Symposium 197 on Astrochemistry: From Molecular Clouds to Planetary Systems, 14 pages