Investigations of the Interstellar Diffuse Band Spectrum

赫比格博士将继续他对漫射星际带性质的观测研究。它包括通过对嵌入电离氢云的恒星、星际尘埃颗粒的涂层在某种程度上被移除的云后面的恒星以及受冲击的星际气体后面的恒星的高精度观测，努力将漫射带的强度与星际介质的局部特性联系起来。赫比格博士还将寻找星际间的多原子碳分子。这些研究依赖于从夏威夷莫纳克亚山的高海拔地点进行观测的特殊优势。漫射星际带（DIB）光谱的载流子的识别问题在证明这些特征是由星际介质的某些成分产生的50多年后仍然没有解决。随着新探测器的可用性，漫射星际带的列表已经增加到大约50个确定条目，其中可以添加至少20个最近在光谱的红色和近红外区域发现的弱特征。DIB的特征仍然没有明显的令人信服的规律。这让人怀疑可能涉及一个运营商家族。赫比格博士的研究将解决天文学中这个非常棘手的问题。

Dr. Herbig will continue his observational research into the nature of diffuse interstellar bands. It includes an effort to correlate the strengths of the diffuse bands with local properties of the interstellar medium through high-precision observations of stars imbedded in ionized hydrogen clouds, of stars behind clouds in which the coatings of the interstellar dust grains have to some extent been removed, and of stars behind shocked interstellar gas. Dr. Herbig wil also search for interstellar polyatomic carbon molecules. These studies depend upon the special advantages of observing from the high altitude site of Mauna Kea in Hawaii. The problem of the identification of the carrier of the diffuse interstellar band (DIB) spectrum remains unsolved over fifty years after it was demonstrated that these features are produced by some constituent of the interstellar medium. With the availability of new detectors the list of diffuse interstellar bands has grown to some 50 sure entries, to which can be added at least 20 more weak features that have recently been found in the red and near infrared regions of the spectrum. Still no convincing regularities in DIB characteristics are apparent. This leads to the suspicion that a family of carriers may be involved. Dr. Herbig's research will address this very vexing problem in astronomy.