Infrared Band Emission from Interstellar Space: Laboratory and Theoretical Studies

密歇根大学的巴克博士将进行一项 实验室研究计划，以调查的性质 多环芳烃（PAH）。 特别是 实验将被设计成调查生产 PAH分子的红外发射， 吸收可见光和紫外光。 在过去的几年里，红外天文观测 许多天体都表现出一系列独特的 这些特征被称为 红外发射带 已经提出这些 发射带是由于多环芳烃类 星际空间中的物种 如果这是真的，那么PAH可能 是星际物质中丰富而重要的组成部分 介质 要了解这一点，还有许多实验室工作要做。 PAH的属性，然后才能被证实是 观察到的红外发射带的来源。 巴克医生的 研究是地球实验室的重要组成部分 努力

Dr. Barker at the University of Michigan will conduct a laboratory research program to investigate the properties of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH). In particular, the experiments will be designed to investigate the production of infrared emission from PAH molecules which are excited by the absorption of visible and ultraviolet light. In the last few years, infrared astronomical observations have shown that many celestial objects exhibit a distinctive set of emission features which have become known as the unidentified infrared emission bands. It has been suggested that these emission bands are due to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon-like species in interstellar space. If this is true, then PAH's could be an abundant and very important constituent of the interstellar medium. Much laboratory work remains to be done to understand the properties of PAH's before they can be confirmed to be the sources of the observed infrared emission bands. Dr. Barker's research is an important component of the Earth-based laboratory effort.