Theoretical support for buckyonions as carriers of the UV interstellar extinction feature.

Theoretically simulated UV-visible photoabsorption spectra of the buckyonions are compared with the most recent and complete experimental data. The very good agreement found provides support for our theoretical model of the buckyonions and allows for a detailed analysis of the correspondence between these spectra and the UV interstellar extinction feature. The excellent agreement found between the theoretical and observational features and the consistency of the former with the observational data constraints gives very strong support for the buckyonion origin of the UV interstellar spectrum.