Interstellar Anions: The Role of Quantum Chemistry.

Six anions have been conclusively detected in the interstellar medium (ISM). They all arrived within a five-year window ending five years ago. Why have no new anions been detected? It is likely a lack of laboratory data for novel anions. This work reviews the role that valence and dipole-bound excited states may play in the formation, detection, and lifetime of anions that may yet be observed in the ISM and how quantum chemistry enhances this understanding. The list of interstellar anions has certainly not been exhausted by any means, but electronic, spectroscopic, and structural data must be provided to aid in any future detections. Quantum chemistry has the flexibility and completeness to provide a full picture of these systems and has shown exceptional accuracies of late. The work reviewed herein gives an overview of what quantum chemical computations have produced and will continue to provide related to anions and how this will enhance both laboratory experiment and astronomical observation.