Related papers: Detection of the buckminsterfullerene cation (C60+…
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,…
Recent advances in laboratory spectroscopy lead to the claim of ionized Buckminsterfullerene (C60+) as the carrier of two diffuse interstellar bands (DIBs) in the near-infrared. However, irrefutable identification of interstellar C60+…
Based on gas-phase laboratory spectra at 6 K, Campbell et al. (2015) confirmed that the diffuse interstellar bands (DIBs) at 9632.7 and 9577.5A are due to absorption by the fullerene ion C60+. They also reported the detection of two other,…
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…
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 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…
Gas phase spectroscopic laboratory experiments for the buckminsterfullerene cation C60+ resulted in accurate rest wavelengths for five C60+ transitions that have been compared with diffuse interstellar bands (DIBs) in the near infra-red.…
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…
In 2015, Campbell et al. (Nature 523, 322) presented spectroscopic laboratory gas phase data for the fullerene cation, C$_{60}^+$, that coincide with reported astronomical spectra of two diffuse interstellar band (DIB) features at 9633 and…
The recent infrared detection of fullerenes (C60 and C70) in Planetary Nebulae (PNe) and R Coronae Borealis (RCB) stars offers a beautiful opportunity for studying the diffuse interstellar bands (DIBs) in sources where fullerenes are…
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…
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…
Recently, the presence of fullerenes in the interstellar medium (ISM) has been confirmed especially with the first confirmed identification of two strong diffuse interstellar bands (DIBs) with C60+. This justifies reassesing the importance…
The fullerene C$_{60}$ has four infrared-active vibrational transitions at 7.0, 8.5, 17.4 and 18.9 $\mu$m. We have previously observed emission features at 17.4 and 18.9 $\mu$m in the reflection nebula NGC 7023 and demonstrated spatial…
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…
Due to recent advances in laboratory spectroscopy, the first optical detection of a very large molecule has been claimed in the diffuse interstellar medium (ISM): C60+ (ionized Buckminsterfullerene). Confirming the presence of this molecule…
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…
Fullerenes, including C60, C70, and C60+, are widespread in space through their characteristic infrared vibrational features (C60+ also reveals its presence in the interstellar medium through its electronic transitions) and offer great…
The Diffuse Interstellar Bands (DIBs) are absorption features seen in the spectra of astronomical objects, that arise in the interstellar medium. Today more than 500 DIBs have been observed mostly in the optical and near-infrared…
Large organic molecules and carbon clusters are basic building blocks of life, but their existence in the universe has not been confirmed beyond doubt. A number of unidentified absorption features (arising in the diffuse inter-stellar…