TY - JOUR
T1 - Buckyball-metal Complexes as Potential Carriers of Astronomical Unidentified Infrared Emission Bands
AU - Hou, Gao Lei
AU - Lushchikova, Olga V.
AU - Bakker, Joost M.
AU - Lievens, Peter
AU - Decin, Leen
AU - Janssens, Ewald
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023. The Author(s). Published by the American Astronomical Society.
PY - 2023/7/1
Y1 - 2023/7/1
N2 - Efforts over 40 yr still leave the source of astronomical infrared emission bands largely unidentified. Here, we report the first laboratory infrared (6-25 μm) spectra of gas-phase fullerene-metal complexes, [C60-Metal]+ (Metal = Fe, V) and show with density functional theory calculations that complexes of C60 with cosmically abundant metals, including Li, Na, K, Mg, Ca, Al, V, and Fe, all have similar spectral patterns. Comparison with observational infrared spectra from several fullerene-rich planetary nebulae demonstrates a strong positive linear cross-correlation. The infrared features of [C60-Metal]+ coincide with four bands attributed earlier to neutral C60 bands and in addition also with several bands unexplained to date. Abundance and collision theory estimates indicate that [C60-Metal]+ could plausibly form and survive in astrophysical environments.
AB - Efforts over 40 yr still leave the source of astronomical infrared emission bands largely unidentified. Here, we report the first laboratory infrared (6-25 μm) spectra of gas-phase fullerene-metal complexes, [C60-Metal]+ (Metal = Fe, V) and show with density functional theory calculations that complexes of C60 with cosmically abundant metals, including Li, Na, K, Mg, Ca, Al, V, and Fe, all have similar spectral patterns. Comparison with observational infrared spectra from several fullerene-rich planetary nebulae demonstrates a strong positive linear cross-correlation. The infrared features of [C60-Metal]+ coincide with four bands attributed earlier to neutral C60 bands and in addition also with several bands unexplained to date. Abundance and collision theory estimates indicate that [C60-Metal]+ could plausibly form and survive in astrophysical environments.
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U2 - 10.3847/1538-4357/accf1b
DO - 10.3847/1538-4357/accf1b
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85165368642
SN - 0004-637X
VL - 952
JO - Astrophysical Journal
JF - Astrophysical Journal
IS - 1
M1 - 13
ER -