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，以研究多环芳烃(PAH)的性质。特别是，这些实验将被设计用来研究多环芳烃分子在可见光和紫外光的吸收下产生的红外发射。在过去的几年里，红外天文观测表明，许多天体表现出一组独特的发射特征，这些特征被称为未知的红外发射带。有人认为，这些发射带是由于星际空间中的多环芳烃类物质造成的。如果这是真的，那么多环芳烃可能是星际介质中丰富且非常重要的成分。在确认多环芳烃是观测到的红外发射波段的来源之前，还需要做大量的实验室工作来了解它们的性质。巴克博士的研究是地面实验室工作的重要组成部分。

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.