Laboratory Study of Reactive Molecules of Interest to Radio and Submillimeter-Wave Astronomy: A Program of Research andInstrumental Development

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Drs. Patrick Thaddeus and Carl Gottlieb will continue a program of laboratory astrophysical research on reactive molecules that are constituents of interstellar gas and circumstellar shells. They will carry out spectroscopy of carbenes, carbon-chain and other new radicals, silicon molecules, metal carbides, and of the vibrationally excited states and isotopically substituted species of known reactive molecules. The investigation will be made with an improved nonresonant double-pass millimeter-wave spectrometer. The whole subject of reactive molecules of astrophysical interest is in a period of explosive growth. Building on recent detections of SiC, SiCC, highly vibrationally excited SiO, and the cumulene carbenes H2CCC and H2CCCC, the investigation will emphasize surveys of discharges about 50 GHz wide in frequency. From initial surveys made in this laboratory, many new reactive species are expected. There are also plans to extend the range of the spectrometer farther into the far infrared and to construct a nonresonant multipass spectrometer which may result in a significant increase in sensitivity.