The reactor, made of Pyrex, is equipped with a vacuum stopcock leading
to the analysis system. Two other openings allow the connection with a
secondary vacuum pump (Turbomolecular pump, Balzers), and a water vapor
flow system that isn’t yet operational, but will permit the study of interactions
between photodegradation products of solid molecules and the main constituent
of the coma : H2O. At about half the depth of the reactor, a stainless
steel grid can be settled as a support for the studied organic molecules.
A vacuum better than 10-4 can be reached in the reactor. Two UV lamps can
be connected : a Xenon lamp (147 nm) and an Hydrogen flow lamp (122 nm).
