Discovery of interstellar phenalene ($c$-C${}_{13}$H${}_{10}$): A new piece for the chemical puzzle of PAHs in space

Abstract

We present the discovery of the unsubstituted polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) phenalene ($c$-C${}_{13}$H${}_{10}$) in TMC-1 as part of the QUIJOTE line survey. In spite of the low dipole moment of this three-ring PAH we have found a total of 267 rotational transitions with quantum numbers $J$ and $K_a$ up to 34 and 14, respectively, corresponding to 100 independent frequencies. The identification of this new PAH from our survey was based on the agreement between the rotational parameters derived from the analysis of the lines and those obtained by quantum chemical calculations. Subsequent chemical synthesis of this PAH and the investigation of its laboratory microwave spectrum unequivocally support our identification. The column density of phenalene in TMC-1 is (2.8$\pm$1.6)$\times$10${}^{13}$ cm${}^{-2}$.

Accepted as a Letter to the Editor in Astronomy & Astrophysics on 19/08/2025

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