Fullerenes in Circumstellar and Interstellar Environments

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 been detected in a variety of sources representing circumstella...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inProceedings of the International Astronomical Union Vol. 7; no. S280; pp. 216 - 227
Main Authors Cami, Jan, Bernard-Salas, Jeronimo, Peeters, Els, Malek, Sarah E.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Cambridge, UK Cambridge University Press 01.06.2011
Subjects
Astronomy
Astrophysics
Chemistry
Contributed Papers
Fullerenes
Molecules
Stars & galaxies
ISM:molecules
astrochemistry
circumstellar matter
infrared:ISM
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Summary: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 been detected in a variety of sources representing circumstellar and interstellar environments. Abundance estimates suggest that C60 represents ~0.1%–1.5% of the available carbon in those sources. The observed relative band intensities in various sources are not fully compatible with single-photon heating and fluorescent cooling, and are better reproduced by a thermal distribution at least in some sources. The observational data suggests that fullerenes form in the circumstellar environments of evolved stars, and survive in the interstellar medium. Precisely how they form is still a matter of debate.
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ISSN:1743-9213
1743-9221
DOI:10.1017/S1743921311024999