Resolution Criteria

This market resolves based on scientific consensus emerging from peer-reviewed astronomical literature and observational evidence. Multiple answers may resolve positively if they are all confirmed to be true.

Background

Extended Red Emission is a broad, featureless emission band observed between approximately 5400–9000 Å (peaking at 6100–8200 Å) in UV-excited interstellar dust across diverse astronomical environments. It represents a ubiquitous photon-driven luminescence phenomenon present wherever interstellar dust and far-ultraviolet photons coexist. Recent research has implicated doubly ionized Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH++) and charged PAH dimers ([PAH2]+) as leading candidates, with ERE being particularly dominant in transition regions where Very Small Grains are being photo-evaporated. Despite decades of investigation, the carrier's identity remains uncertain, though carbon-rich materials are strongly favored by cosmic abundance constraints.

Considerations (AI generated)

The challenge in definitively identifying ERE's carrier stems from its ubiquity across diverse astronomical environments and the difficulty in isolating its contribution from other emission sources in observations. Multiple proposed explanations have been ruled out by subsequent observations, making this a genuinely open question in astrophysics despite significant observational and theoretical effort.