C2, the simplest multicarbon molecule is a useful astronomical tool, because the analysis of its lines allows to determine the physical conditions in interstellar clouds. C2 abundances give information about the chemistry of interstellar clouds, especially on the pathway to the formation of long-chain carbon molecules, which may be connected with carriers of diffuse interstellar bands (Douglas 1977, Thorburn et al. 2003). Here we summarize all relations between C2 and diffuse interstellar bands (DIBs).

The analysis of DIB profiles was used in various attempts to discover the DIBs carriers. The broadening of the 6196 Å DIB with increasing C2 rotational temperature was reported by Kaźmierczak et al. (2009). We present the broadening of the 4763, 5780 and 6614 Å DIBs connected with higher abundance of vibrationally excited hydrogen molecule. The DIBs broadening is also correlated with increasing H2 rotational temperature on the ν=2 vibrational level. The broadening may be caused by growing population of higher rotational levels in the DIB carrier. Some DIBs, like 4964 Å, do not show any width changes with higher population of vibrationally excited H2.

The analysis of radial velocities in the spectra of HD 151932 and HD 152233, performed for the optical lines of interstellar CH and CH+ molecules on one hand, and for the diffuse bands 4964 and 6196 Å on the other hand, suggests that the carrier of the former DIB is spatially related to CH, while the carrier of the latter - to CH+. A further analysis, based on the sample of 106 reddened OB stars, partly confirms this suggestion, showing that the CH column density correlates indeed much better with the equivalent width of the 4964 DIB than with that of the 6196 DIB.

We present a preliminary analysis of a set of optical (3800-8800 Å) high resolution (R = 80,000) spectra for 69 diffuse interstellar band targets. We carried out a sensitive search for interstellar features in the wavelength range 8470-8740 Å that will be covered by the upcoming GAIA mission. We also investigate how the λ8620Å DIB strength varies as a function of other interstellar parameters (other DIBs, E(B-V) and atomic and molecular column densities).

One of the key factors in explaining nature of DIB carriers is to find regularities in their spectrum. Such a regular set of DIBs exists within interval λλ 6770–6865 Å. A possible new sequence of weak DIBs between λλ 5910–5990 Å is presented here. The new sequence is clearly visible in high resolution spectra (R ≳ 100,000) of some hot, reddened stars. Wavenumbers' differences, or spacings, between the most strong bands have values ~35, ~40 cm−1, which are very similar to those, found for DIBs near 6800 Å.

We present the first results of a dedicated search for Diffuse Interstellar Bands that have profiles with FWHM > 6 Å. Broad DIBs have been noticed in past surveys using averages of multiple sight lines (e.g. Jenniskens & Désert, 1994), but careful detection, measurement, and cataloguing for individual sight lines has not been done since the pioneering work of Herbig (1995). We have initiated an observing campaign using the Apache Point Observatory in order to obtain low-resolution spectra to search for such broad DIBs and monitor their behaviour from star to star. A first sample of 21 stars with 0.3 < E(B-V) < 3.3 mag, along with 15 matched low-reddening stars, were observed with the APO/DIS B400 (R ~ 450) and R300 (R ~ 1000) gratings to obtain spectra having S/N > 500.

We present observations which probe the small-scale structure of the interstellar medium using diffuse interstellar bands (DIBs). Towards HD 168075/6 in the Eagle Nebula, significant differences in DIB absorption are found between the two lines of sight, which are separated by 0.25 pc, and λ 5797 exhibits a velocity shift. Similar data are presented for four stars in the μ Sgr system. We also present a search for variations in DIB absorption towards κ Vel, where the atomic lines are known to vary on scales of ~ 10 AU. Observations separated by ~ 9 yr yielded no evidence for changes in DIB absorption strength over this scale, but do reveal an unusual DIB spectrum.

The relationship between DIBs and dust is still unknown. The correlation between reddening and DIB strength means that the DIBs are mixed in with the dust and gas in interstellar clouds. The DIBs are relatively stronger in the diffuse interstellar medium than in dense clouds. There is only a weak correlation between the DIBs and the UV extinction parameters including the 2175 Å bump strength and the far-UV rise. In addition, the bump dust grains are sometimes polarized, while the DIBs are not. However, observations of DIBs in the SMC show that when the 2175 Å bump is weak or missing so are the DIBs. Two of the four sightlines that deviate strongly from the CCM UV extinction in the Galaxy show weak DIBs.

In this brief review of recent work relating the DIBs to other gas-phase constituents of the ISM, we explore correlations between DIB equivalent widths and the column densities of various atomic and molecular species, drawn from a large database constructed for that purpose. The tightness and slopes of the correlations can provide information on how the DIBs might be related to those species (physically, chemically, spatially) and on various properties of the DIB carriers. Deviations from the mean relationships can reveal dependences of DIB strengths on other parameters, regional variations in DIB behavior, and individual sight lines where unusual environmental conditions affect the DIBs. Variations in DIB profiles (e.g., wings, substructure) and relative strengths may be related to differences in physical conditions inferred from atomic and/or molecular absorption lines.

Astronomical microwave spectroscopy has greatly broadened the inventory of identifiable chemical species in diffuse molecular gas and is an increasingly effective way to measure the abundances of polar molecules that may be candidate diffuse interstellar band carriers. Here we review some recent developments that hold new promise for chemical abundance determinations. We summarize and categorize the molecular inventory that has accrued in the past twenty years from microwave observations of diffuse clouds and we present summary tables of the molecular abundances within various chemical families in both dark and diffuse molecular gas.

Blue luminescence (BL) and extended red emission (ERE) are observed as diffuse, optical-wavelength emissions in interstellar space, resulting from photoluminescence by ultraviolet(UV)-illuminated interstellar grains. Faintness and the challenge of separating the BL and ERE from the frequently much brighter dust-scattered continuum present major observational hurdles, which have permitted only slow progress in testing the numerous models that have been advanced to explain these two phenomena. Both the ERE, peaking near 680 nm (FWHM ~ 60 - 120 nm) and the BL, asymmetrically peaking at ~ 378 nm (FWHM ~ 45 nm), were first discovered in the Red Rectangle nebula. Subsequently, ERE and BL have been observed in other reflection nebulae, and in the case of the ERE, in carbon-rich planetary nebulae, H II regions, high-latitude cirrus clouds, the galactic diffuse ISM, and in external galaxies. BL exhibits a close spatial and intensity correlation with emission in the aromatic emission feature at 3.3 micron, most likely arising from small, neutral polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) molecules. The spectral characteristics of the BL also agree with those of fluorescence by PAH molecules with 13 to 19 carbon atoms. The BL phenomenon is thus most readily understood as the optical fluorescence of small, UV-excited aromatic molecules. The ERE, by contrast, though co-existent with mid-IR PAH emissions, does not correlate with emissions from either neutral or ionized PAHs. Instead, the spatial ERE morphology appears to be strictly governed by the density of far-UV (E ≥ 10.5 eV) photons, which are required for the ERE excitation. The most restrictive observational constraint for the ERE process is its exceptionally high quantum efficiency. If the ERE results from photo-excitation of a nano-particle carrier by photons with E ≥ 10.5 eV in a single-step process, the quantum efficiency exceeds 100%. Such a process, in which one to three low-energy optical photons may be emitted following a single far-UV excitation, is possible in highly isolated small clusters, e.g. small, dehydrogenated carbon clusters with about 20 to 28 carbon atoms. A possible connection between the ERE carriers and the carriers of DIBs may exist in that both are ubiquitous throughout the diffuse interstellar medium and both have an abundance of low-lying electronic levels with E ≤ 2.3 eV above the ground state.

The Red Rectangle is a spectacular bipolar nebula centred around the eccentric evolved binary HD 44179. The nebula is rich in spectral signatures: it is the brightest source of the Extended Red Emission (ERE), of the Blue Luminescence (BL) as well as one of the brightest sources of mid-IR PAH bands. Moreover, and unique to this source, a plethora of narrow emission lines is detected on top of the diffuse ERE. Some of these molecular features show rotational contours which become narrower at larger angular separation from the central engine. Some converge to wavelengths and profiles of narrow DIBs. All these observations show that the Red Rectangle is a very rich laboratory to study active astrochemical processes within the nebula. We also address, but fail to answer, the question why this source is so unique among the many observed post-AGB binary analogues.

Up to 10% of the total power output of star-forming galaxies is emitted in the infrared emission features at 3.3, 6.2, 7.7, 8.6 and 11.2 μm. Here, I will review the spectral characteristics of these IR emission bands, their dependence on the local environment, the implications for the physical and chemical characteristics of the carriers, and their applicability as a diagnostic tool.

The Herschel Space Observatory carried out observations at far-infrared wavelengths, which significantly increased our knowledge of the interstellar medium and the star-formation process in the Milky Way and external galaxies, as well as our understanding of astrochemistry.

Absorption features, known, e.g., from observations at millimeter wavelengths, are more commonly observed in the far-infrared, in particular toward strong dust continuum sources. The lowest energy transitions are not only observed at LSR-velocities related to the source, but often also at velocities associated with diffuse molecular clouds along the line of sight toward the background source.

Unbiased spectral line surveys of the massive and very luminous Galactic Center sources Sagittarius B2(M) and (N) were carried out across the entire frequency range of the high-resolution Heterodyne Instrument for Far-Infrared Astronomy (HIFI). An absorption feature was detected toward both sources at about 617.531 GHz, corresponding to 20.599 cm−1, 485.47 μm, or 2.5539 meV. This feature is unique in its appearance at all velocity components associated with diffuse foreground molecular clouds, together with its conspicuous absence at velocities related to the sources themselves. The carriers of at least a substantial part of the DIBs are thought to reside in the diffuse interstellar medium. Therefore, we consider this absorption feature to be a far-infrared DIB analog.

Subsequent dedicated observations confirmed that the line is present only in the foreground clouds on the line of sight toward other massive star-forming regions in the Galactic disk. There is indication that the feature has substructure, possibly of fine or hyperfine nature. Attempts to assign the feature to atomic or molecular species have been unsuccessful so far.

In the early 90's, C60+ was proposed as the carrier of two diffuse interstellar bands (DIBs) at 9577 and 9632 Å, but a firm identification still awaits gas-phase spectroscopic data. Neutral C60, on the other hand, was recently detected through its infrared emission bands in the interstellar medium and evolved stars. In this contribution, we present the detection of C60+ through its infrared vibrational bands in the NGC 7023 nebula, based on spectroscopic observations with the Spitzer space telescope, quantum chemistry calculation, and laboratory data from the literature. This detection supports the idea that C60+ could be a DIB carrier, and provides robust evidence that fullerenes exist in the gas-phase in the interstellar medium. Modeling efforts to design specific observations, combined with new gas-phase data, will be essential to confirm this proposal. A definitive attribution of the 9577 and 9632 Å DIBs to C60+ would represent a significant step forward in the field.

The recent infrared detection of fullerenes (C60 and C70) in Planetary Nebulae (PNe) and R Coronae Borealis (RCB) stars offers a beautiful opportunity for studying the diffuse interstellar bands (DIBs) in sources where fullerenes are abundant. Here we present for the first time a detailed inspection of the optical spectra of the hot RCB star DY Cen and two fullerene PNe (Tc 1 and M 1-20), which permits us to directly explore the fullerenes - DIB connection. The DIB spectrum of DY Cen (García-Hernández et al. 2012a) is remarkably different from that in fullerene PNe (García-Hernández & Díaz-Luis 2013). In particular, Tc 1 displays unusually strong 4428 Å and 6309 Å DIBs, which are normal (or not seen) in DY Cen. On the other hand, DY Cen displays an unusually strong 6284 Å DIB that is found to be normal in fullerene PNe. We also report the detection of new broad and unidentified features centered at 4000 Å and 6525 Å in DY Cen and Tc 1, respectively. We suggest that the new 4000 Å band seen in DY Cen may be related to the circumstellar proto-fullerenes seen at infrared wavelengths (García-Hernández et al. 2012a). However, the intense 4428 Å DIB (probably also the 6309 Å DIB and the new 6525 Å band) may be related to the presence of larger fullerenes (e.g., C80, C240, C320, and C540) and buckyonions (multishell fullerenes such as C60@C240 and C60@C240@C540) in the circumstellar envelope of Tc 1 (García-Hernández & Díaz-Luis 2013).

Mixed aromatic/aliphatic organic nanoparticles (MAON) are suggested as the carrier of the unidentified infrared emission (UIE) features. The carriers of the diffuse interstellar bands (DIB) may be gas-phase molecular products released from MAON in the interstellar medium.

Comets provide a very different but well understood environment in which to search for DIBs. Observations of occultations by cometary comae have not detected DIBs, but none were very near the nucleus, where the column density of dust is highest. We report here unidentified emission bands, centered at λ4430, very near the nucleus of comet Hyakutake. These may be vaporized forms of grain carriers or fragments of large-molecule carriers. At least two different species appear to be present based on two different spatial distributions.

The infrared (IR) spectra of many evolved carbon-rich stars exhibit two prominent dust emission features peaking around 21μm and 30μm, with the former exclusively seen in proto-planetary nebulae (PPNe), while the latter seen in a much wider range of objects, including AGB stars, PPNe and planetary nebulae (PNe). The 30μm feature is seen in all the 21μm sources, but no correlation is found between these two features. Over a dozen carrier candidates have been proposed for the 21μm feature, but none of them has been widely accepted and the nature of the 21μm feature remains a mystery. The carrier of the 30μm feature also remains unidentified. MgS dust, once widely accepted as a valid carrier, was ruled out because of the sulfur budget problem. In this work we examine nano-sized FeO dust as a carrier for the 21μm feature. We calculate the IR emission spectrum of FeO nanodust which undergoes single-photon heating in PPNe. It is found that the 21μm feature emitted by FeO nanodust is too broad to explain the observed feature. For the 30μm feature, we argue that graphite could be a viable carrier. Graphite, provided its d.c. conductivity σd.c. exceeds ~100ohm−1cm−1, exhibits a pronounced band at 30μm.

Large fullerenes and fullerene-based molecules have been proposed as carriers of diffuse interstellar bands (DIBs). The recent detection of the most common fullerenes (C60 and C70) around some Planetary Nebulae (PNe) now enable us to study the DIBs in fullerene-rich space environments. We have studied the presence of DIBs in the optical spectra (~3300-9400 Å) of two fullerene-containing PNe (Tc 1 and M 1-20). Special attention is given to DIBs which are found to be unusually intense in fullerene-containing PNe; several of these DIBS have not previously been reported. Fullerenes larger than C60 (and C70) and multishell fullerenes may be possible candidate carriers for the unusual DIBs seen in fullerene-rich environments.