How confinement affects the dynamics of c60 in carbon nanopeapods

The dynamics of confined systems is of major concern for both fundamental physics and applications. In this Letter, the dynamics of C60 fullerene molecules inside single walled carbon nanotubes is studied using inelastic neutron scattering. We identify the C60 vibrations and highlight their sensitivity to temperature. Moreover, a clear signature of rotational diffusion of the C60 is evidenced, which persists at lower temperature than in 3D bulk C60. It is discussed in terms of confinement and of reduced dimensionality of the C60 chain.