Related papers: Fullerenes in circumstellar and interstellar envir…
In recent years, the fullerene species C60 (and to a lesser extent also C70) has been reported in the mid-IR spectra of various astronomical objects. Cosmic fullerenes form in the circumstellar material of evolved stars, and survive in the…
Fullerenes are a particularly stable class of carbon molecules in the shape of a hollow sphere or ellipsoid that might be formed in the outflows of carbon stars. Once injected into the interstellar medium (ISM), these stable species survive…
Detections of C60 and C70 fullerenes in planetary nebulae (PNe) of the Magellanic Clouds and of our own Galaxy have raised the idea that other forms of carbon such as hydrogenated fullerenes (fulleranes like C60H36 and C60H18), buckyonions,…
We compare and analyze the Spitzer mid-infrared spectrum of three fullerene-rich planetary nebulae in the Milky Way and the Magellanic Clouds; Tc1, SMP SMC16, and SMP LMC56. The three planetary nebulae share many spectroscopic similarities.…
The presence of neutral C60 fullerenes in circumstellar environments has been firmly established by astronomical observations as well as laboratory experiments and quantum-chemistry calculations. However, the large variations observed in…
Fullerenes, including \ce{C60} and \ce{C70}, have been detected in various astronomical environments. Understanding how their structures evolve over time is essential for gaining insights into their life cycle and making further…
The recent detection of fullerene (C$_{60}$) in space and the positive assignment of five diffuse interstellar bands to C$_{60}^+$ reinforce the notion that fullerene-related compounds can be efficiently formed in circumstellar envelopes…
Buckminsterfullerene (C60) was recently detected through its infrared emission bands in the interstellar medium (ISM), including in the proximity of massive stars, where physical conditions could favor the formation of the cationic form,…
We present high-resolution (R~15000) VLT/UVES optical spectra of two planetary nebulae (PNe; Tc 1 and M 1-20) where C60 (and C70) fullerenes have already been found. These spectra are of high-quality (S/N > 300) for PN Tc 1, which permits…
We present ten new Spitzer detections of fullerenes in Magellanic Cloud Planetary Nebulae, including the first extragalactic detections of the C70 molecule. These new fullerene detections together with the most recent laboratory data permit…
We present a study of 16 PNe where fullerenes have been detected in their Spitzer spectra. This large sample of objects offers an unique opportunity to test conditions of fullerene formation and survival under different metallicity…
Since the first laboratory synthesis of C$_{60}$ in 1985, fullerene-related species have been proposed to interpret various astronomical features. After more than 25 years' efforts, several circumstellar and interstellar features have been…
Large fullerenes and fullerene-based molecules have been proposed as carriers of diffuse interstellar bands (DIBs). The recent detection of the most common fullerenes (C60 and C70) around some planetary nebulae (PNe) now enable us to study…
We report a computational study of the stability and infrared (IR) vibrational spectra of neutral and singly ionised fullerene cages containing between 44 and 70 carbon atoms. The stability is characterised in terms of the standard enthalpy…
Emission of fullerenes in their infrared vibrational bands has been detected in space near hot stars. The proposed attribution of the diffuse interstellar bands at 9577 and 9632 \AA\ to electronic transitions of the buckminsterfullerene…
Although fullerenes have long been hypothesized to occur in interstellar environments, their actual unambiguous spectroscopic identification is of more recent date. C60, C70 and C60+ now constitute the largest molecular species individually…
We report the first detection of buckminsterfullerene (C60) in a proto-planetary nebula (PPN). The vibrational transitions of C60 at 7.0, 17.4, and 18.9um are detected in the Spitzer/IRS spectrum of IRAS 01005+7910. This detection suggests…
We present the detection of fullerenes C60 and C70 in the star-forming region IC 348 of the Perseus molecular cloud. Mid-IR vibrational transitions of C60 and C70 in emission are found in Spitzer IRS spectra of individual stars (LRLL 1, 2,…
This study presents the largest mid-infrared spectral catalog of Herbig Ae/Be stars to date, containing the Spitzer Infrared Spectrograph spectra of 126 stars. Based on the catalog analysis, two prominent infrared vibrational modes of…
[Abridged] Fullerenes have been recently detected in various circumstellar and interstellar environments, raising the question of their formation pathway. It has been proposed that they can form by the photo-chemical processing of large…