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abstract
The study of iron containing molecules in the interstellar medium has been limited by the lack of laboratory measurements of transition frequencies. We are currently conducting research to record the rotational spectra of simple iron containing species of astrophysical interest in the laboratory, using mm/sub-mm direct absorption techniques. A high temperature Broida-type oven has been developed specifically for the production of iron vapor to create these species. This source has been successfully used to measure the sub-mm transition frequencies of FeO, including detection of lines originating in the $\Omega$ = 1 and $\Omega$ = 0 ladders. Laboratory searches are being currently conducted for FeF and FeCl. Such halide molecules are of particular interest because other metal halide species (NaCl, AlCl, KCl, and AlF) have previously been detected in the circumstellar shell of the late-type star IRC+10216.
