Related papers: Interstellar C60+
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…
We perform a detailed analysis of the fullerene C60-containing planetary nebula (PN) SaSt2-3 to investigate the physical properties of the central star (B0-1II) and nebula based on our own Subaru/HDS spectra and multiwavelength archival…
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…
Ever since their first detection over 100 years ago, the mysterious diffuse interstellar bands (DIBs), a set of several hundred broad absorption features seen against distant stars in the optical and near infrared wavelength range, largely…
Hydrocarbons are ubiquitous in the interstellar medium, observed in diverse environments ranging from diffuse to molecular dark clouds and strong photon-dominated regions near HII regions. Recently, two broad diffuse interstellar bands…
We present a Spitzer/IRS low-resolution mid-infrared spectrum (5-14 micron) of the luminous transient discovered in the nearby galaxy NGC 300 in May 2008. The spectrum, obtained three months after discovery, shows that the transient is very…
We report high resolution spectroscopy of the moderately reddened (A$_V$=3) early type star Cernis 52 located in a region of the Perseus molecular cloud complex with anomalous microwave emission. In addition to the presence of the most…
Fullerenes have been observed in several astronomical objects since the discovery of C$_{60}$ in the mid-infrared (mid-IR) spectrum of the planetary nebula (PN) Tc 1. It has been suggested that the carriers of the broad unidentified…
We present infrared spectra of the binary XX Oph obtained with the Infrared Spectrograph on the Spitzer Space Telescope. The data show some evidence for the presence of solid C_60 - the first detection of C_60 in the solid phase - together…
We present 15-20 um spectral maps towards the reflection nebula NGC2023 obtained with the Infrared Spectrograph in short-wavelength, high-resolution mode on board the Spitzer Space Telescope. These spectra reveal emission from PAHs, C60,…
The coexistence of PAHs and the C$_{60}$ fullerene in different astrophysical environments can give rise to the formation of new complex species denoted as PAH-C$_{60}$ adducts, which may contribute to the infrared (IR) emission observed.…
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and carbonaceous dust have been observed in clumpy circumstellar environments, yet their formation and evolutionary pathways in such environments remain elusive. We aim to characterize the PAH…
It has been shown that the diversity of the aromatic emission features can be rationalized into different classes of objects, in which differences between circumstellar and interstellar matter are emphasised. We probe the links between the…
We demonstrate, using the high resolution spectra from the ESPADONS spectrograph, fed with the 3.6m CFH telescope, that the strength ratios of the strong--to--weak spectral features, attributed to C$_{60}^+$, are variable. We found that in…
The chemical composition of diffuse interstellar clouds is not fully established. They host an active chemistry despite their relatively low density and the ubiquitous presence of far-UV radiation. To further explore the chemical…
Astronomical dust molecule of carbon-rich nebula-Lin49 and nebula-Tc1 could be identified to be polycyclic-pure-carbon C23 by the quantum-chemical calculation. Two driving forces were assumed. One is high speed proton attack on…
We report the discovery of two mid-infrared nebulae in the northern hemisphere with the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer and the results of optical spectroscopy of their central stars, BD+60 2668 (composed of two components, separated…
We have observed the reflection nebula NGC 7023, with the Short-High module and long-slit Short-Low and Long-Low modules of the Infrared Spectrograph on the Spitzer Space Telescope. We also present Infrared Array Camera and Multiband…
We report on the detection of a molecular band centered at ~98 um (~102 cm^-1), observed with the Infrared Space Observatory in the young Planetary Nebula NGC7027. The band structure and intensity can not be reproduced by atomic fine…
The hydrogen-poor, helium-rich and carbon-rich character of the gas around R Coronae Borealis (RCB) stars has been suggested to be a site for formation of C60 molecules. This suggestion is not supported by observations reported here showing…