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-C2-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).