Detection of C<SUB>60</SUB> Combination Bands in the Near-IR Spectrum of Tc 1

Bibcode
2026ApJ..1004L..32G
DOI
10.3847/2041-8213/ae76d5
Giese, Morgan M.; Esposito, Vincent J.; Van Schuylenbergh, Simon; Cami, Jan; Peeters, Els; Bhatt, Charmi; Van De Putte, Dries; Tielens, A. G. G. M.; Barlow, Michael J.; Bernard-Salas, Jeronimo; Candian, Alessandra; Changala, Bryan; Cox, Nick L. J.; Dinerstein, Harriet L.; García-Hernández, D. A.; Gómez-Muñoz, Marco A.; Justtanont, Kay; Kraemer, Kathleen E.; Lagadec, Eric; Manchado, Arturo; Monreal Ibero, Ana; Sahai, Raghvendra; Sidhu, Ameek; Sloan, G. C.; Sterling, N. C.; Walsh, Jeremy R.; Wesson, Roger; Whitman, Joshua Cole; Zijlstra, Albert
Bibliographical reference

The Astrophysical Journal

Advertised on:
6
2026
Journal
The Astrophysical Journal
Number of authors
29
IAC number of authors
2
Citations
0
Refereed citations
0
Description
We report the detection of a set of new near-infrared emission features between 3.5 and 5.2 μm in JWST/NIRSpec observations of Tc 1, the planetary nebula known for displaying the cleanest and most prominent mid-infrared cosmic fullerene spectrum. These broad features share the same spatial distribution as the well-known C60 and C70 mid-infrared emission bands, peaking in an asymmetric ring approximately 5″─6″ from the central star. Through comparison with new anharmonic quantum chemical calculations, we demonstrate that these features arise from C60 combination bands, marking their first detection in an astrophysical environment. The total energy radiated in the combination bands amounts to ∼17% of the total energy emitted from all C60 modes, with direct implications for fullerene cooling models. These near-infrared combination bands offer a promising new window for identifying and studying the molecular astrophysics of C60 in sources where mid-infrared spectra are more complex.
Type
Refereed
Planetary nebulae
Astrochemistry

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