Ab initio Calculations of Absorption Coefficients of Small Carbon Hydride Molecules

Quantum chemical methods have become a powerful tool for investigating the electronic structure of small molecules in ground and excited states. This is particularly true for species which are not easily accessible by experiment, either because they are short-lived, for example, or unstable under laboratory conditions or difficult to detect since their signals are hidden by other, prevailing molecules. In this sense theoretical methods are of special importance for molecules in atmospheric, stellar and interstellar environments.