Spectroscopy of Survivors

We are all made of star dust but the nature of the material that ultimately leads to the formation of new stars and planets is not well understood. This project is motivated by one of the longest standing (100 years) and most perplexing problems in molecular spectroscopy and astronomy; the identity of the molecules responsible for the diffuse interstellar bands. These enigmatic absorption features are caused by the electronic transitions of molecules present in interstellar clouds through which star light in the visible penetrates. Recently, the positively charged cation of the iconic soccer ball shaped molecule, Buckminsterfullerene C60+, was identified as the first carrier of a handful of around 500 unidentified absorptions, leading to exciting new avenues for laboratory and astronomical studies. This project will fill a knowledge gap by detecting the spectroscopic fingerprints of fullerenes, analogues, and related molecular species, to see if they are responsible for the remaining DIBs, unlocking the inventory of carbonaceous molecules in interstellar space. The data will be obtained using cryogenic ion traps coupled with lasers, and beams of molecules and radicals.