Infrared Spectroscopy in Australia

Infrared spectroscopy is a relatively new field in astronomy. When the study of celestial sources at wavelengths longer than 1 μ m underwent a major spurt of growth in the mid-sixties, it was natural for astronomers to concentrate on broad band measurements. As detectors and instrumentation have steadily improved and the broad band characteristics of stellar sources in the IR have become better known, there has been a natural trend to higher spectral resolution. To date there has been sufficient work in IR spectroscopy to warrant several reviews on the subject. Although Australia has been late in entering this exciting and expanding field, the quality of work has more than made up for the delay. In this review I will briefly describe several projects involving IR spectra performed in Australia. Special emphasis will be placed on those experiments that cannot be done by any means other than IR spectroscopy. Also presented is a description of Australia’s next generation of spectroscopic instrumentation for the IR.