Raman Spectrum of Quenched Carbonaceous Composites

Quenched Carbonaceous Composites (QCC's) are products from the ejecta of a hydrocarbon plasma. Two types of QCC, dark QCC and thermally-altered (heated) filmy QCC, have been shown to have a 220 nm absorption feature similar to that seen in the interstellar extinction curve. We present here Raman spectra of the QCCs and compare them with various carbonaceous materials to better understand the structure QCC. We find that structure of QCC is different from that of graphite and more similar to carbonaceous material found in some interplanetary dust particles and chondritic meteorites.