Samenvatting

In this thesis the different aspects of acquiring the complex refractive index of interstellar ice analogues are treated. The ultimate aim of this work is to search for abilities to predict the infrared absorption spectra of these analogues. A key factor in these predictions is the optical influence of porosity of the ice layers, since the porosity acts as a catalyst in the formation of more complex molecules. This chapters of this thesis will treat the following subjects:
- An introduction to interstellar ice research, followed by the theory of the research approach.
- A brief description of the used HV-setup.
- The results of the measurements.
During the writing of this report, it has yet to be confirmed whether the method developed for predicting the optical constants n and k works; if so, with what accuracy. However, from absorption peaks only visible for a porous mixture and not for pure and non-porous ices it can be concluded that the porosity likely causes different absorption behaviour. Another possible indication of porosity is a change in shape or size of the known absorption peaks of the individual ice components. It is hoped that, once validated, the method described in this thesis will be able to predict spectra of ternary ice mixtures.