Infrared Laser Spectroscopy of Jet-Cooled Carbon Clusters: The Structure and Spectroscopy of 3Σ c6

Abstract

Carbon clusters have been of interest for many years due to their astrophysical importance and their role in the chemistry of high temperature, carbon-rich environments.1 Recent experimental and theoretical studies have been highly successful in elucidating the structure and bonding of small carbon clusters containing an odd number of atoms. The picture which has emerged is that odd clusters of three to nine atoms possess linear ground electronic states with cumulenic bonding. One of the most fascinating characteristics of these odd clusters is their unusual bending motion. C3, for example, has long been known to possess an extraordinarily low frequency, high amplitude bending mode, and indeed all of these linear chains are characterized by low bending frequencies.