Fullerenes in circumstellar and interstellar environments

Abstract

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 interstellar medium (ISM). It is not entirely clear how they form or what their excitation mechanism is.

2 pages, proceedings of Special Session 16 "Unidentified Spectral Phenomena in the Interstellar medium", IAU General Assembly, Beijing, Aug 27-28, 2012