Direct measurement of internal energy of fragmented C60

A new experimental approach has been investigated to measure directly the internal energy of fragmented C60. Doubly charged C60{2+*} prepared in collisions H++C60-->H- +C60{2+*} decay by evaporation of C2 units. We have measured the internal energy distribution of the transient C60{2+*} for each decay channel by analyzing the kinetic energy loss of the scattered anion H-. This method offers an experimental opportunity for studying the fragmentation dynamics of more complex systems such as larger clusters and biomolecules under internal energy controlled conditions.