Interstellar C60+
Olivier Berne, Giacomo Mulas, Christine Joblin

TL;DR
This study reports the detection of C60+ in the interstellar medium near a star, using infrared spectra, confirming large carbon molecules exist in space and can serve as probes of physical conditions.
Contribution
It provides the first identification of C60+ bands in the gas phase in an interstellar environment, combining observational, theoretical, and laboratory data.
Findings
Detection of four new C60+ bands in the IR spectra of NGC 7023
C60+ presence confirmed near a star in the ISM
Band intensity variations can probe physical conditions
Abstract
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, C60+. In addition, C60+ was proposed as the carrier of two diffuse interstellar bands in the near-IR, although a firm identification still awaits for gas-phase spectroscopic data. We examined in details the Spitzer IRS spectra of the NGC 7023 reflection nebula, at a position close (7.5") to the illuminating B star HD 200775, and found four previously unreported bands at 6.4, 7.1, 8.2 and 10.5 \mu m in addition to the classical bands attributed to Polycylic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) and neutral C60. These 4 bands are observed only in this region of the nebula, while C60 emission is still present slightly further away from the star, and PAH emission…
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