Related papers: C$_{60}$ in Photodissociation Regions
We have obtained wide-field thermal infrared (IR) images of the Carina Nebula, using the SPIREX/Abu telescope at the South Pole. Emission from poly-cyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) at 3.29um, a tracer of photodissociation regions (PDRs),…
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…
Photodissociation regions (PDRs) are parts of the ISM consisting of predominantly neutral gas, located at the interface between H II regions and molecular clouds. The physical conditions within these regions show variations on very short…
The interstellar medium is known to be chemically complex. Organic molecules with up to 11 atoms have been detected in the interstellar medium, and are believed to be formed on the ices around dust grains. The ices can be released into the…
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…
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…
The physical and chemical conditions in photodissociation regions (PDRs) are largely determined by the influence of far ultraviolet radiation. Far-UV photons can efficiently dissociate molecular hydrogen, a process that must be balanced at…
We recently identified several emission bands in the Spitzer-IRS spectrum of the unusual planetary nebula Tc 1 with the infrared active vibrational modes of the neutral fullerene species C60 and C70. Since then, the fullerene bands have…
We present a model for the hydrogenation states of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the diffuse interstellar medium. First, we study the abundance of hydrogenation and charge states of PAHs due to photo-ionization,…
We investigate the emission properties of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in various metallicity environments with the Infrared Spectrograph on board Spitzer. Local giant HII regions are used as references as they enable access to…
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…
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,…
The aromatic infrared Bands (AIBs) dominate the mid-infrared spectra of many galactic and extragalactic sources. These AIBs are generally attributed to fluorescent emission from aromatic molecules. Unified efforts from experimentalists and…
We present seeing-limited narrow-band mid-IR GTC/CanariCam images of the spatially extended fullerene-containing planetary nebula (PN) IC 418. The narrow-band images cover the C60 fullerene band at 17.4 {\mu}m, the polycyclic aromatic…
We present maps at high spatial and spectral resolution in emission lines of C2H, c-C3H2, C4H, 12CO and C18O of the edge of the Horsehead nebula obtained with the Plateau de Bure Interferometer (PdBI). The edge of the Horsehead nebula is a…
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…
We present high-resolution spectroscopy and images of a photodissociation region (PDR) in M16 obtained during commissioning of NIRSPEC on the Keck II telescope. PDRs play a significant role in regulating star formation, and M16 offers the…
The current debate about the nature of the carbonaceous material carrying the infrared (IR) emission spectra of planetary and proto-planetary nebulae, including the broad plateaus, calls for further studies on the interplay between…
The first detection of the C60 (Buckminsterfullerene) molecule in massive embedded young stellar objects (YSOs) is reported. Observations with Spitzer IRS reveal the presence of C60 in YSOs ISOGAL-P J174639.6-284126 and SSTGC 372630 in the…
The mid-infrared (MIR) spectra of dense photodissociation regions (PDRs) are typically dominated by emission from polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and the lowest pure rotational states of molecular hydrogen (H2); two species which…