Carbon-Chain Chemistry in the Interstellar Medium

Kotomi Taniguchi, Prasanta Gorai, Jonathan C. Tan

Published 2023-03-28Version 1

The presence of carbon-chain molecules in the interstellar medium (ISM) has been known since the early 1970s and $>100$ such species have been identified to date, making up $>40\%$ of the total of detected ISM molecules. They are prevalent not only in star-forming regions in our Galaxy, but also in other galaxies. These molecules provide important information on physical conditions, gas dynamics, and evolutionary stages of star-forming regions. More complex species of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and fullerenes (C$_{60}$ and C$_{70}$) have been detected in circumstellar envelopes around carbon-rich Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) stars and planetary nebulae, while PAHs are also known to be a widespread component of interstellar dust in most galaxies. Recently, two line survey projects toward the starless core Taurus Molecular Cloud-1 with large single-dish telescopes have detected many new carbon-chain species, including molecules containing benzene rings. These new findings raise fresh questions about carbon-bearing species in the Universe. This article reviews various aspects of carbon-chain molecules, including observational studies, chemical simulations, quantum calculations, and laboratory experiments, and discusses open questions and how they may be answered by future facilities.