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Detection of two interstellar absorption bands coincident with spectral features of C60+

Abstract

MORE than a hundred well-defined absorption bands, arising from diffuse gas in the interstellar medium, have been observed in the visible and near-infrared spectra of stars 1–4. The identity of the species responsible for these bands has remained unclear, although many possibilities have been suggested5,6. Carbon-based molecules ubiquitous in the interstellar medium have been widely favoured as potential carriers of some of the diffuse interstellar bands7–10,29; in particular, C60+ has been thought to be a promising candidate9,29. Here we present the results of a search for C60+ in the near-infrared spectra of seven stars, based on recent laboratory measurements of the absorption spectrum of this species11–13. We find two diffuse bands that are coincident (within 0.1%) with laboratory measurements on C60+ in a Ne matrix11. From this observation and the total absorption, we estimate that 0.3–0.9% of interstellar carbon is in the form of C60+. The molecule is very stable, which should allow it to survive in the interstellar medium for a long time14, but the inhibition of C60+ formation by hydrogen probably limits its abundance.

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Foing, B., Ehrenfreund, P. Detection of two interstellar absorption bands coincident with spectral features of C60+. Nature 369, 296–298 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1038/369296a0

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