Grain temperatures and infrared emission from interstellar dust clouds

Experimentally determined refractive indices have been used to calculate optical properties of silicate in cosmic dust clouds of varying densities and for various silicate-graphite-iron mixtures. The transfer of scattered radiation within the cloud has been investigated. The temperature distribution in the cloud has been evaluated. In a wide range of cases of astrophysical interest the silicate grain temperatures are low enough to allow recombination and condensation reactions to take place. (author)