Kinetics of radiation cooling of fullerenes

Emission from fullerene molecules excited by means of electron impact in crossed beams under conditions of single collisions between electrons and C₆₀ molecules in a kinetic energy range E _e from 25 to 100 eV was studied experimentally. Emission spectra in a wavelength range from 300 to 800 nm; the emission excitation functions and the temperature of emitting molecules as a function of E _e were measured with a resolution of 1.6–3.2 nm. The contribution to emission from ionized C ₆₀ ^+* molecules has been determined and data on the emissivity of the C ₆₀ ^+* ion have been obtained. It has been shown that the emission spectra can be well approximated with the spectral distribution of thermal emission from a black body (Planck’s formula), taking into account the lowering of emissivity for a small particle. The emission can be observed starting with electron energy of about 27 eV; the emission excitation function is of a nonresonant form, peaking at an energy of E _e ≈70 eV. As E _e is increased, the temperature of emitting particles rises and reaches its maximum value of 3100–3200 K at E _e ≈47 eV.