ELECTRONIC TRANSITIONS OF JET-COOLED SiC2, Si2Cn (n=1-3), Si3Cn (n=1,2), AND SiC6H4 BETWEEN 250 AND 710 nm

Electronic transitions of the title molecules were measured between 250 and 710 nm using a mass-resolved 1 + 1' resonant two-photon ionization technique at a resolution of 0.1 nm. Calculations at the B3LYP/aug-cc-pVQZ level of theory support the analyses. Because of their spectral properties, SiC2, linear Si2C2, Si3C, and SiC6H4 are interesting target species for astronomical searches in the visible spectral region. Of special relevance is the Si-C-2-Si chain, which features a prominent band at 516.4 nm of a strong transition (f = 0.25). This band and one from SiC6H4 at 445.3 nm were also investigated at higher resolution (0.002 nm).