Infrared Spectroscopy of H⁺₃ in the Interstellar Medium

Abstract

Long a subject of laboratory and theoretical studies, H⁺₃indexAH⁺₃ is now recognized to be a fundamental ingredient of interstellar space, as the instigator of much of the gas-phase chemistry that occurs there. The study of H⁺₃ in the interstellar medium is currently in its eighth year since the species was first detected there. Here I review the important physical properties, astrophysical significance, and current observations of H⁺₃ in interstellar space, illustrating these with recently acquired high resolution spectra of H⁺₃ in a variety of environments.