Multiple ionization and fragmentation of negatively charged fullerene ions by electron impact

Electron Ionization of Size-Selected Positively and Negatively Charged Helium Droplets

A beam of size-selected charged helium droplets was crossed with an electron beam, and the ion efficiency curves for the product droplets in all different charge states were recorded. We estimate that the selected helium droplets on their passage through the electron beam are hit by several hundred electrons which can interact with the individual He atoms of the droplets. Reaction channels corresponding to the removal or capture of up to eight electrons were identified, and in all cases, inelastic scattering and the formation of metastable helium played a significant role.

Single Photon Thermal Ionization of C_{60}

We report on experiments which show that C_{60} can ionize in an indirect, quasithermal boiloff process after absorption of a single photon. The process involves a large number of incoherently excited valence electrons and yields electron spectra with a Boltzmann distribution with temperatures exceeding 10^{4}  K. It is expected to be present for other molecules and clusters with a comparatively large number of valence electrons. The astrophysical consequences are briefly discussed.

Single-photon multiple detachment in fullerene negative ions: absolute ionization cross sections and the role of the extra electron

We have obtained experimental photo-double- and photo-triple-detachment cross sections for the fullerene negative ion using Advanced Light Source photons of 17-90 eV. The cross sections are 2 and 2.5 times larger than those for C60 and appear to be compressed and shifted in photon energy as compared to C60. Our analysis reveals that the additional electron in C60- primarily produces screening which is responsible for the modification of the spectrum. Both screening effects, the shift and the compression, can be quantitatively accounted for by a linear transformation of the energy axis. Applying the transformation allows us to map the neutral and negative ion cross sections onto each other, pointing out the close relationship of correlated few-electron dynamics in neutral and negatively charged extended systems. In contrast, dynamics of neutral and negatively charged atoms or small molecules are typically not closely related.

Theoretical study of the stability of multiply charged C70 fullerenes

We have calculated the electronic energies and optimum geometries of C(70) (q+) and C(68) (q+) fullerenes (q=0-14) by means of density functional theory. The ionization energies for C(70) and C(68) fullerenes increase more or less linearly as functions of charge, consistent with the previously reported behavior for C(60) and C(58) [S. Diaz-Tendero et al., J. Chem. Phys. 123, 184306 (2005)]. The dissociation energies corresponding to the C(70) (q+)-->C(68) (q+)+C(2), C(70) (q+)-->C(68) ((q-1)+)+C(2) (+), C(70) (q+)-->C(68) ((q-2)+)+C(+)+C(+), C(70) (q+)-->C(68) ((q-3)+)+C(2+)+C(+), and C(70) (q+)-->C(68) ((q-4)+)+C(2+)+C(2+) decay channels show that C(70) (q+) (like C(60) (q+)) is thermodynamically unstable for q>or=6. However, the slope of the dissociation energy as a function of charge for a given decay channel is different from that of C(60) (q+) fullerenes. On the basis of these results, we predict q=17 to be the highest charge state for which a fission barrier exists for C(70) (q+).

Structure and electronic properties of highly charged C60 and C58 fullerenes

We present a theoretical study of the structure and electronic properties of positively charged C60(q+) and C58(q+) fullerenes (q = 0-14). Electronic energies and optimum geometries have been obtained using density-functional theory with the B3LYP functional for exchange and correlation. We have found that closed- and semiclosed-shell C60(q+) ions (q = 0, 5, and 10) preserve the original icosahedral symmetry of neutral C60. For other charges, significant distortions have been obtained. The C58(q+) fullerenes are, in general, less symmetric, being C58(8+) the closest to the spherical shape. Most C60(q+) fullerenes follow Hund's rule for spin multiplicity, while most C58(q+) fullerenes are more stable with the lowest spin multiplicity. The calculated ionization potentials for both kinds of fullerenes increase almost linearly with charge, except in the vicinity of C60(10+) and C58(8+). We have also explored the region of the potential-energy surface of C60(q+) that leads to asymmetric fission. Minima and transition states corresponding to the last steps of the fission process have been obtained. This has led us to conclude that, for 3 < or = q < or = 8, C2(+) emission is the preferred fragmentation channel, whereas, for higher q values, emission of two charged atomic fragments is more favorable. The corresponding fission barrier vanishes for q > 14.

Multiphoton photodetachment of C60-

A model delta-function potential is considered for simulating the interaction of the attached electron in C(60) (-) with the fullerene environment. The analytical expressions for the energy eigenstates, and the Green's function, are used to deduce the one-, two-, and three-photon photodetachment probabilities for C(60) (-). Particularly interesting is the observation that the three-photon photodetachment is greatly enhanced by the bound states with energies close to the energies for resonant absorption of one and two photons, and a resonance in the l=3 state.

Resonant Electron Transfer in Collisions between Two Fullerene Ions

Fullerenes are a direct link between atoms with discrete electronic energy levels and solids with a band structure and a well-defined surface. In this Letter, we report on the first ever experiment on resonant electron transfer in collisions between two fullerene ions. Total cross sections have been measured for the reaction C+60+C2+60-->C2+60+C+60 at center-of-mass energies ranging from 27 to 69 keV. Surprisingly, within the error bars, these cross sections are identical to the respective cross sections for C+60+C60 measured by Rohmund and Campbell [J. Phys. B 30, 5293 (1997)]]. We show that the experimental data for both collision systems are very well reproduced by a quantum mechanical treatment of the reaction based on the concept of hole particles and the polarizability of the fullerene molecule.