  We present experimental measurements of photodesorption from ices of
astrophysical relevance. Layers of benzene and water ice were irradiated with a
laser tuned to an electronic transition in the benzene molecule. The
translational energy of desorbed molecules was measured by time-of-flight (ToF)
mass spectrometry. Three distinct photodesorption processes were identified - a
direct adsorbate-mediated desorption producing benzene molecules with a
translational temperature of around 1200 K, an indirect adsorbate-mediated
desorption resulting in water molecules with a translational temperature of
around 450 K, and a substrate-mediated desorption of both benzene and water
producing molecules with translational temperatures of around 530 K and 450 K
respectively. The translational temperature of each population of desorbed
molecules is well above the temperature of the ice matrix. The implications for
gas-phase chemistry in the interstellar medium are discussed.
