Anionic hydrogen clusters as a source of diffuse interstellar bands (DIBs)

The sources behind numerous key diffuse interstellar bands (DIBs) remain elusive, and thus evidence is presented here that a family of seven anionic hydrogen atomic clusters (H(-)2n+1, n = 1 to 7) are pertinent contributors. Configuration interaction calculations show hat these charge-induced dipole...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:arXiv.org 2019-12
Main Authors: Huang, Lulu, Matta, Cherif F, Majaess, Daniel, Harriott, Tina, Capitani, Joseph, Massa, Lou
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Absorption spectra
Atomic clusters
Configuration interaction
Diffuse interstellar bands
Dipoles
Interstellar matter
Metastable state
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Summary:The sources behind numerous key diffuse interstellar bands (DIBs) remain elusive, and thus evidence is presented here that a family of seven anionic hydrogen atomic clusters (H(-)2n+1, n = 1 to 7) are pertinent contributors. Configuration interaction calculations show hat these charge-induced dipole clusters are stable at temperatures characteristic of the interstellar medium, and emerge from the most abundant element in the Universe. The clusters' spectra yield 25 absorption optical lines that align with observed DIBs to within the computational uncertainties. The absorption bands are due to excitations from the ground states of the clusters to metastable states.
ISSN:2331-8422