Single Photon Thermal Ionization of C_{60}.
We report on experiments which show that C_{60} can ionize in an indirect, quasithermal boiloff process after absorption of a single photon. The process involves a large number of incoherently excited valence electrons and yields electron spectra with a Boltzmann distribution with temperatures exceeding 10^{4}  K. It is expected to be present for other molecules and clusters with a comparatively large number of valence electrons. The astrophysical consequences are briefly discussed.
Tianjin International Center of Nanoparticles and Nanosystems, Tianjin University, 92 Weijin Road, Nankai District, Tianjin 300072, China.|Department of Physics, University of Gothenburg, 41296 Gothenburg, Sweden.
Klavs
K
Hansen
Elettra-Sincrotrone Trieste, Area Science Park, 34149 Basovizza, Trieste, Italy.
Robert
R
Richter
IOM-CNR Tasc, SS-14, Km 163.5 Area Science Park, Basovizza 34149, Trieste, Italy.
Michele
M
Alagia
IOM-CNR Tasc, SS-14, Km 163.5 Area Science Park, Basovizza 34149, Trieste, Italy.|Dipartimento di Chimica e Tecnologie del Farmaco, Universitá Sapienza, Rome I-00185, Italy.
Stefano
S
Stranges
IOM-CNR Tasc, SS-14, Km 163.5 Area Science Park, Basovizza 34149, Trieste, Italy.
Luca
L
Schio
Department of Physics, Stockholm University, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden.
Peter
P
Salén
Department of Physics, University of Gothenburg, 41296 Gothenburg, Sweden.
Vasyl
V
Yatsyna
Department of Physics, University of Gothenburg, 41296 Gothenburg, Sweden.
Raimund
R
Feifel
Department of Physics, University of Gothenburg, 41296 Gothenburg, Sweden.
Vitali
V
Zhaunerchyk