The identification of ionized PAHs in the interstellar medium

G.C. Sloan (Aust. Def. Force Acad. & NASA Ames), T.L. Hayward (Cornell), L.J. Allamandola, J.D. Bregman, (NASA Ames), B. DeVito (Cornell), D.M. Hudgins (NASA Ames)

1999, ApJ Letters, 513, L65

Long-slit 8-13 µm spectroscopy of the nebula around NGC 1333 SVS 3 reveals spatial variations in the strength and shape of emission features which are probably produced by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Close to SVS 3, the 11.2 µm feature develops an excess at ~10.8-11.0 µm, and a feature appears at ~10 µm. These features disappear with increasing distance from the central source, and they show striking similarities to recent laboratory data of PAH cations, providing the first identification of emission features arising specifically from ionized PAHs in the interstellar medium.

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