ELECTRONIC SPECTROSCOPY OF CARBON CHAINS

Carbon chains are of interest: in astrophysics and in terrestrial proc esses, such as fullerene formation. The electronic spectra of a variet y of such chains have now been identified in the laboratory using a te chnique which enables absorption spectra of mass-selected species to b e measured in neon matrices. The understanding of their transitions an d the trends apparent for these homologous series point out which type and size of carbon chains are relevant for consideration as carriers of the diffuse interstellar bands.