Related papers: Fullerenes in circumstellar and interstellar envir…
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…
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…
Hydrogen depleted environments are considered an essential requirement for the formation of fullerenes. The recent detection of C60 and C70 fullerenes in what was interpreted as the hydrogen-poor inner region of a post-final helium shell…
Infrared emission bands with wavelengths between 3-20 {\mu}m are observed in a variety of astrophysical environments [1,2]. They were discovered in the 1970s and are generally attributed to organic compounds [3,4]. However, over 40 years of…
It is well known that collective electronic excitations in fullerene C$_{60}$ are manifested as Mie plasmons, and in graphene (the limiting case of an infinitely large fullerene) collective excitations are of plasmon-polariton type. How the…
In 1985, "During experiments aimed at understanding the mechanisms by which long-chain carbon molecules are formed in interstellar space and circumstellar shells", Harry Kroto and his collaborators serendipitously discovered a new form of…
Besides buckminsterfullerene (C60), other fullerenes and their derivatives may also reside in space. In this work, we study the formation and photo-dissociation processes of astronomically relevant fullerene/anthracene (C14H10) cluster…
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,…
Laboratory spectra of hydrogenated amorphous carbon (HAC) particles prepared under a variety of conditions show spectral features at 7.05, 8.5, 17.4 and 18.9 {\mu}m (1418, 1176, 575 & 529 cm-1) that have been associated with emission from…
Since fullerene formation occurs under conditions where direct observation of atomic-scale reactions is not possible, modeling is the only way to reveal atomistic mechanisms which can lead to selection of abundant fullerene isomers (like…
New type of nonlinear (anharmonic) excitations -- bushes of vibrational modes -- in physical systems with point or space symmetry are discussed. All infrared active and Raman active bushes for C60 fulerene are found by means of special…
We explore the impact of diffusive cosmic rays (CRs) on the evolution of the interstellar medium (ISM) under varying assumptions of supernova explosion environment. In practice, we systematically vary the relative fractions of supernovae…
The presence of carbon-chain molecules in the interstellar medium (ISM) has been known since the early 1970s and $>130$ such species have been identified to date, making up $\sim 43$% of the total of detected ISM molecules. They are…
The formation and evolution mechanism of fullerenes in the planetary nebula or in the interstellar medium are still not understood. Here we present the study on the cluster formation and the relative reactivity of fullerene cations (from…
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…
Small cationic fullerene fragments, produced by electron impact ionization of C60, were mass-selected and accumulated in cryogenic Ne matrixes. Optical absorption spectroscopy of these fragments with up to 18 carbon atoms revealed linear…
The formation of stars, particularly the high-mass star formation, poses several still open questions. Nowadays, thanks to the most modern telescopes and instruments, we are able to observe and analyse many physical and chemical processes…
Buckminsterfullerene, C60 , is the largest molecule observed to date in interstellar and circumstellar environments. The mechanism of formation of this molecule is actively debated. Despite targeted searches in primitive carbonaceous…
The C_{60} molecule exhibits a remarkable stability and inertness that leads to its survival in ancient carbonaceous rocks initially subject to the high temperatures requisite for its formation. Elementary particles having very high…