“…(Black 1998;Montmerle 2009)). Among the 18 molecular cations now identified in the interstellar medium, it is the reactive ions H + 3 , OH + , and H 2 O + that are expected to be the most specific tracers of the CR ionization rate (Black 1998(Black , 2007, and it was only during the last year that the latter two species have been detected (Benz et al 2010;Bruderer et al 2010;Gerin et al 2010;Gupta et al 2010;Kre lowski et al 2010;Neufeld et al 2010a;Ossenkopf et al 2010;Schilke et al 2010;Wyrowski et al 2010). Analysis of OH + and H 2 O + absorption in diffuse interstellar gas of low molecular fraction (H 2 /H < 10%) serves to calibrate the background ionizing frequency of interstellar hydrogen at a level ζ Gal = (0.6 − 2.4) · 10 −16 s −1 per atom (Gerin et al 2010;Neufeld et al 2010a,b).…”