A far-ultraviolet-driven photoevaporation flow observed in a protoplanetary disk.

Most low-mass stars form in stellar clusters that also contain massive stars, which are sources of far-ultraviolet (FUV) radiation. Theoretical models predict that this FUV radiation produces photodissociation regions (PDRs) on the surfaces of protoplanetary disks around low-mass stars, which affects planet formation within the disks. We report James Webb Space Telescope and Atacama Large Millimeter Array observations of a FUV-irradiated protoplanetary disk in the Orion Nebula.

The ESO Diffuse Interstellar Bands Large Exploration Survey: EDIBLES I. Project description, survey sample and quality assessment.

The carriers of the diffuse interstellar bands (DIBs) are largely unidentified molecules ubiquitously present in the interstellar medium (ISM). After decades of study, two strong and possibly three weak near-infrared DIBs have recently been attributed to the [Formula: see text] fullerene based on observational and laboratory measurements. There is great promise for the identification of the over 400 other known DIBs, as this result could provide chemical hints towards other possible carriers.

Electronic absorption spectra of protonated pyrene and coronene in neon matrixes.

Protonated pyrene and coronene have been isolated in 6 K neon matrixes. The cations were produced in the reaction of the parent aromatics with protonated ethanol in a hot-cathode discharge source, mass selected, and co-deposited with neon. Three electronic transitions of the most stable isomer of protonated pyrene and four of protonated coronene were recorded.

TD-DFT calculations of electronic spectra of hydrogenated protonated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) molecules: implications for the origin of the diffuse interstellar bands?

We report the application of time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) to the calculation of electronic spectra of hydrogenated protonated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) molecules. The hydrogen atoms lie on the periphery of the PAH structure and those considered here may be written Hn-HPAH+, where n is even. It is found, in common with protonated PAH molecules, HPAH+, that some of the electronic transitions fall in the visible spectral region.

Small-scale-structure of the interstellar medium probed through diffuse band observations.

The carriers of the diffuse interstellar band spectrum represent an important baryonic component of the interstellar medium (ISM) and it is expected that their identification will contribute significantly to the understanding of the chemistry and physics of interstellar clouds. It is widely held that the carriers are linked to the presence of dust grains on account of the good correlation of their strengths with interstellar reddening, so they offer an important potential route to improving our understanding of the composition and chemistry of grains and grain surfaces. In addition to the challenge of making the spectral assignments, an important current question concerns the spatial distribution and physical state of interstellar material, with recent observational atomic and molecular line absorption studies suggesting that diffuse clouds are more 'clumpy' than previously thought.