Issue 16, 2024

Infrared bands of neutral gas-phase carbon clusters in a broad spectral range

Abstract

The identification of species in the interstellar medium requires precise and molecule-specific spectroscopic information in the laboratory framework, in broad spectral ranges and under conditions relevant to interstellar environments. In this work, we measure the gas-phase infrared spectra of neutral carbon clusters, CN (N = 6–11), in a molecular beam. The CN distribution is formed by photofragmentation of C60 molecules, concurrently showing a top-down formation mechanism. A broad spectral range in the infrared between 500–3200 cm−1 (20–3.125 μm) is investigated. We observe strong bands between 5 and 6 μm, in conjunction with novel features in the 3 μm region. Density functional theory calculations reveal that these short wavelength modes correspond to combination bands with significant infrared intensity. Moreover, we identify the N ≤ 10 clusters as linear, while C11 adopts a ring configuration, placing the linear-to-ring transition at N = 11 under our molecular beam conditions. The linearity of C10 is discussed based on the formation pathway from larger clusters in energetic conditions. Given the vast and very precise infrared information already been released from the James Webb Space Telescope mission, this infrared spectroscopic data set in conjunction with information on formation mechanisms is of major relevance for identifying neutral carbon clusters in astronomical environments.

Graphical abstract: Infrared bands of neutral gas-phase carbon clusters in a broad spectral range

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
26 Nov 2023
Accepted
08 Apr 2024
First published
08 Apr 2024
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY license

Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2024,26, 12324-12330

Infrared bands of neutral gas-phase carbon clusters in a broad spectral range

P. Ferrari, A. K. Lemmens and B. Redlich, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2024, 26, 12324 DOI: 10.1039/D3CP05756A

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence. You can use material from this article in other publications without requesting further permissions from the RSC, provided that the correct acknowledgement is given.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements