| Paper | Title | Page |
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| TUPPH044 | Free Electron Laser Study of Free Carbon Clusters | 423 |
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| UV absorption from carbon nanoparticles is a very interesting astrophysical topic. The prominent hump centered at 217.5nm is the most dominant feature in the interstellar extinction curve and also the most controversial and a long-standing problem in astrophysics. Actual models lack of experimental data about carbon dust in gas phase. At the University of Milano an experimental set-up based on a PulsedμPlasma Source has been developed for the investigation of free clusters at the Elettra Gas Phase beamline (CESyRA: Cluster Experiments with Synctrotron RAdiation). The cluster source produces very intense cluster beams with tunable size distribution. The design of the apparatus is extended with a chamber for gas phase reaction (water vapor, CO, H2…) providing a unique opportunity to study the gas phase properties of carbonaceous particles in different environment. We plan to investigate Resonant Raman scattering of free carbon particles tuning the high brilliance UV/VIS storage ring FEL of ELETTRA across the region of 217nm where the UV absorption hump in astrophysical data is observed and where a number of electronic transitions exist for variable size linear carbon chains. |