Detection of diffuse interstellar bands in the Magellanic Clouds

With the Ultraviolet Visual Echelle Spectrograph mounted at the Very Large Telescope, we have observed at unprecedented spectral resolution the absorption spectrum toward reddened stars in the Magellanic Clouds over the wavelength range of 3500-10500 Angstrom. This range covers the strong transitions associated with neutral and charged large carbon molecules of varying sizes and structures. We report the first detection of diffuse interstellar bands (DIBs) at 5780 and 5797 Angstrom in the Small Magellanic Cloud and the variation of the 6284 Angstrom DIB toward several targets in the Large Magellanic Cloud. The variation of DIBs in the Magellanic Clouds compared with Galactic targets may be governed by a combination of the different chemical processes prevailing in low-metallicity regions and the local environmental conditions.