How Much Graphene in Space?

TL;DR

This study investigates the potential presence of graphene in the interstellar medium by analyzing extinction and infrared emission data, establishing an upper limit of about 20 ppm of C/H for interstellar graphene and C24 molecules.

Contribution

It introduces a new upper limit on interstellar graphene abundance using EELS-derived dielectric functions, improving upon previous estimates from SE measurements.

Findings

Upper limit of ~20 ppm of C/H for interstellar graphene.

No detection of characteristic vibrational bands of C24 in IR emission.

EELS provides a wider energy range and less contamination than SE, affecting abundance estimates.

Abstract

The possible presence of graphene in the interstellar medium (ISM) is examined by comparing the interstellar extinction curve with the ultraviolet absorption of graphene calculated from its dielectric functions experimentally obtained with the electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) method. Based on the absence in the interstellar extinction curve of the ~2755 Angstrom $\pi$--$\pi^{\ast}$ electronic interband transition of graphene, we place an upper limit of ~20ppm of C/H on the interstellar graphene abundance, exceeding the previous estimate by a factor of ~3 which made use of the dielectric functions measured with the spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) method. Compared with the SE method which measures graphene in air (and hence its surface is contaminated) in a limited energy range of ~0.7--5 eV, the EELS probes a much wider energy range of ~0--50 eV and is free of contamination. The fact that the EELS dielectric functions are substantially smaller than that of SE naturally explains why a higher upper limit on the graphene abundance is derived with EELS. Inspired by the possible detection of C$_{24}$, a planar graphene sheet, in several Galactic and extragalactic planetary nebulae, we also examine the possible presence of C$_{24}$ in the diffuse ISM by comparing the model IR emission of C$_{24}$ with the observed IR emission of the Galactic cirrus and the diffuse ISM toward $l = 44^{o}20^\prime$ and $b=-0^{o}20^\prime$. An upper limit of ~20 ppm on C$_{24}$ is also derived from the absence of the characteristic vibrational bands of C$_{24}$ at ~6.6, 9.8 and 20 $\mu$m in the observed IR emission.