Early Negative Ion Studies Related to C6H- and Recent Ion Spectroscopy

Through a spectral line survey observation with Nobeyama 45-m radio telescope in the 28-50 GHz region toward a late type star IRC+10216, a series of lines of a linear molecule was found in 1995. The rotational constant was determined to be 1376.8641(43) MHz, and the molecule is called B1377. After the detection, various studies related this species were carried out, which are presented in this paper, including Aoki's pioneering prediction and radio searches for NCO-, NCS-, and CCH-, etc. Finally, in 2006, McCarthy et al. succeeded in laboratory detection of the C6H- species by mm wave and FTMW spectroscopy and proved that the C6H- anion is B1377. We also report recent laboratory studies in the following topics :(1) time-resolved Fourier transform (FT) emission and absorption spectroscopy of molecular ions to obtain reaction rate constants, (2) FT infrared absorption spectrum of the H2F+ ion.