LABORATORY GAS-PHASE SPECTROSCOPY OF CARBON MOLECULAR-STRUCTURES IN RELATION TO DIFFUSE INTERSTELLAR BANDS

An experiment suitable for studying the carbon molecular structures wh ich are the candidates for carriers of the diffuse interstellar bands (DIBs) in astrophysical spectra has been developed in the plasma-chemi stry laboratory of the Masaryk University in Bmo. The experimental arr angement including an apparatus for detecting the gas phase spectra of monopolar high-frequency discharge is described. The preliminary resu lts involving a search for the ultraviolet, visible, and near-infrared well pronounced features of the carbon molecular structures are discu ssed.