1995A&A...293L..53L

For the first time a candidate for Diffuse Interstellar Band (DIB) carriers is found in the laboratory that has no internal conflict. However, the technique used cannot allow a definitive identification. UV irradiated 1-methyl-pyrene in a Ne matrix produces a species, possibly 1-methylene-pyrene cation, whose main absorption bands are intriguingly close to the 4430 and 7565A DIBs, and minor ones close to the 4176 and 4824A DIBs. The relative intensities are the same as in the astronomical spectra and no extra bands are present. The Ne matrix shifts cannot be precisely measured but they are estimated from data in Ar matrices. They are compatible with a full agreement between the band positions of the free molecule and the DIB's, but do not establish it. Gas phase experiments are needed to make a definitive identification. Meanwhile, our proposal has a falsifiable implication: the 4430 and 7565A DIBs should be totally correlated in any line of sight.