Detection of C60 Combination Bands in the Near-IR Spectrum of Tc 1
Journal article, 2026
We report the detection of a set of new near-infrared emission features between 3.5 and 5.2 mu m 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 similar 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.
Author
Morgan M. Giese
Western University
Vincent J. Esposito
Chapman University
Simon Van Schuylenbergh
Western University
Jan Cami
Western University
Els Peeters
Western University
Charmi Bhatt
Western University
Dries van de Putte
Western University
A. G. G. M. Tielens
University of Maryland
Michael J. Barlow
University College London (UCL)
Jeronimo Bernard-Salas
Innovative Common Laboratory For Space Spectroscopy (INCLASS)
CERGA (Centre d'Etudes et de Recherche de Grasse ACRI)
Alessandra Candian
University of Amsterdam
Bryan Changala
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
University of Colorado
Nick L. J. Cox
CERGA (Centre d'Etudes et de Recherche de Grasse ACRI)
Harriet L. Dinerstein
University of Texas
D. A. Garcia-Hernandez
University of La Laguna
Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias
Marco A. Gomez-Munoz
University of Barcelona
Kay Justtanont
Chalmers, Space, Earth and Environment, Astronomy and Plasmaphysics
Kathleen E. Kraemer
Boston College
Eric Lagadec
Observatoire de la Cote d'Azur
Arturo Manchado
Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias
University of La Laguna
Spanish National Research Council (CSIC)
Ana Monreal Ibero
Leiden University
Raghvendra Sahai
California Institute of Technology (Caltech)
Ameek Sidhu
Western University
G. C. Sloan
Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI)
The University of North Carolina System
N. C. Sterling
University of West Georgia
Jeremy R. Walsh
European Southern Observatory Santiago
Roger Wesson
University College London (UCL)
Cardiff University
Joshua Cole Whitman
University of West Georgia
Albert Zijlstra
University of Manchester
Astrophysical Journal Letters
2041-8205 (ISSN) 2041-8213 (eISSN)
Vol. 1004 2 L32Subject Categories (SSIF 2025)
Atom and Molecular Physics and Optics
Astronomy, Astrophysics, and Cosmology
DOI
10.3847/2041-8213/ae76d5