Spectroscopic fingerprints of interstellar ions

The diffuse interstellar bands (DIBs) are absorption bands ranging from the near-infrared to the visible range of the electromagnetic spectrum (1500-400 nm) observed in a wide range of interstellar objects. Only one carrier of the DIBs has been identified, namely ’the Buckminsterfullerene’(C₆₀⁺), and this carrier only accounts for 5 out of about 600 reported bands. The proposed research seeks to measure laboratory absorption spectra of a large range of potential carriers which will be compared to astronomical observations to identify further carriers of the DIBs. This research will hopefully expand our knowledge of the chemical composition of the interstellar medium, but whether or not carriers of the DIBs are identified, the research will increase our understanding of the intrinsic properties of a large range of molecular ions in the gas phase and provide high-resolution benchmark data for state-of-the-art quantum-chemistry calculations.