Astrophysical: Astrochemistry

  • Publication
    Far-infrared spectroscopy of proteinogenic and other less common amino acids
    Far-infrared spectroscopy is a powerful tool complementing the potential of mid-infrared spectroscopy for the search and identification of organic molecules in...
  • Publication
    First evidence of the possible detection of diffuse circumstellar bands in AGB descendants
    The short transition phase between asymptotic giant branch stars (AGB; when circumstellar envelopes rich in small organic molecules are efficiently created) and...
  • Publication
    Formation of Fullerenes in H-containing Planetary Nebulae
    Hydrogen depleted environments are considered an essential requirement for the formation of fullerenes. The recent detection of C60 and C70 fullerenes in what...
  • Publication
    FT-IR spectroscopy of carbonized acenes: a possible key for the UIBs/AIBs origins
    The complete acene series from naphthalene to anthracene, tetracene and pentacene were carbonized directly in a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) special...
  • News
    Fullerenes discovered in a star formation region in Perseus
    A study carried out by IAC researcher Susana Iglesias-Groth has detected molecules of pure carbon in one of the nearest star formation regions to the Solar...
  • Publication
    GTC/CanariCam mid-IR imaging of the fullerene-rich planetary nebula IC 418
    The formation process(es) of fullerenes in space is still uncertain and several mechanisms have been proposed in the literature. In particular, the most...
  • Publication
    GTC/CanariCam Mid-IR Imaging of the Fullerene-rich Planetary Nebula IC 418: Searching for the Spatial Distribution of Fullerene-like Molecules
    We present seeing-limited narrow-band mid-IR GTC/CanariCam images of the spatially extended fullerene-containing planetary nebula (PN) IC 418. The narrow-band...
  • Publication
    High-resolution Optical Spectroscopy of DY Cen: Diffuse Interstellar Bands in a Proto-fullerene Circumstellar Environment?
    We search high-resolution and high-quality VLT/UVES optical spectra of the hot R Coronae Borealis star DY Cen for electronic transitions of the C60 molecule and...
  • Publication
    Hydrogenated amorphous carbon grains as an alternative carrier of the 9-13 μm plateau feature in the fullerene planetary nebula Tc 1
    Fullerenes have been observed in several astronomical objects since the discovery of C 60 in the mid-infrared (mid-IR) spectrum of the planetary nebula (PN) Tc...