Related papers: Laboratory formation of fullerenes from PAHs: Top-…
[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…
The fullerene C$_{60}$, one of the largest molecules identified in the interstellar medium (ISM), has been proposed to form top-down through the photo-chemical processing of large (more than 60 C-atoms) polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH)…
The high interstellar abundances of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and their size distribution are the result of complex chemical processes implying dust, UV radiation, and the main gaseous components (H, C+, and O). These…
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and fullerenes play a major role in the physics and chemistry of the interstellar medium. Based on a number of recent experimental and theoretical investigations we developed a model in which PAHs are…
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…
Buckminsterfullerene (C60) was recently confirmed to be the largest molecule identified in space. However, it remains unclear how, and where this molecule is formed. It is generally believed that C60 is formed from the build up of small…
Recent studies have confirmed the presence of buckminsterfullerene (C$_{60}$) in different interstellar and circumstellar environments. However, several aspects regarding C$_{60}$ in space are not well understood yet, such as the formation…
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…
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…
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…
In this work, we study the photodissociation processes of small PAH clusters (e.g., pyrene clusters). The experiments are carried out using a quadrupole ion trap in combination with time-of-flight (QIT-TOF) mass spectrometry. The results…
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…
In interstellar environment, fullerene species readily react with large molecules (e.g., PAHs and their derivatives) in the gas phase, which may be the formation route of carbon dust grains in space. In this work, the gas-phase ion-molecule…
Small organic molecules are thought to provide building blocks for the formation of complex interstellar polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). However, the underlying chemical mechanisms remain unclear, particularly concerning the role…
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…
Two key questions of the chemistry of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the interstellar medium (ISM) are addressed: i) the way carbon is returned from PAHs to the interstellar gas after the very efficient accretion of C+ ions onto…
The main goal of this thesis is to unveil some questions related to the formation of complex fullerene-based molecules in space, with the aim of resolving some key problems in astrophysics. The unexpected detections of fullerenes and…
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…
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…
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…