Bibcode
García-Hernández, D. A.; Kameswara Rao, N.; Lambert, D. L.
Bibliographical reference
The Astrophysical Journal, Volume 729, Issue 2, article id. 126 (2011).
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3
2011
Journal
Citations
93
Refereed citations
72
Description
The hydrogen-poor, helium-rich, and carbon-rich character of the gas
around R Coronae Borealis (RCB) stars has been suggested to be a site
for formation of C60 molecules. This suggestion is not
supported by observations reported here showing that infrared
transitions of C60 are not seen in a large sample of RCB
stars observed with the Infrared Spectrograph on the Spitzer Space
Telescope. The infrared C60 transitions are seen, however, in
emission and blended with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) features
in spectra of DY Cen and possibly also of V854 Cen, the two least
hydrogen-deficient (hydrogen deficiency of only ~10-100) RCB stars. The
speculation is offered that C60 (and the PAHs) in the
moderately H-deficient circumstellar envelopes may be formed by the
decomposition of hydrogenated amorphous carbon but fullerene formation
is inefficient in the highly H-deficient environments of most RCBs.
Related projects
Nucleosynthesis and molecular processes in the late stages of Stellar Evolution
Low- to intermediate-mass (M < 8 solar masses, Ms) stars represent the majority of stars in the Cosmos. They finish their lives on the Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) - just before they form planetary nebulae (PNe) - where they experience complex nucleosynthetic and molecular processes. AGB stars are important contributors to the enrichment of the
Domingo Aníbal
García Hernández