Rovibrational quantum state resolution of the C60 fullerene
Rovibrational quantum state resolution of the C60 fullerene
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DOI：
10.1126/science.aav2616
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发表时间：
2019-01-04
期刊：
影响因子：
56.9
通讯作者：
Ye, Jun
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Changala, P. Bryan;Weichman, Marissa L.;Ye, Jun
巴克敏斯特富勒烯（C-60）的独特物理性质自其最初发现以来吸引了大量的研究活动。孤立的C-60分子的总量子态分辨光谱一直是特别长期的兴趣。由于难以制备足够高密度的冷的气相C-60，迄今为止，这种观察是不成功的。在这里，我们报告的高分辨率红外吸收光谱的C-60在8.5微米的光谱区域（1180至1190波数）。低温缓冲气体冷却和腔增强的直接频率梳光谱的组合，使量子态分辨振转跃迁的观察。特征核自旋统计强度模式证实了60个碳-12原子的不可分割性，而振转精细结构编码了分子罕见的二十面体对称性的进一步细节。
The unique physical properties of buckminsterfullerene, C-60, have attracted intense research activity since its original discovery. Total quantum state-resolved spectroscopy of isolated C-60 molecules has been of particularly long-standing interest. Such observations have, to date, been unsuccessful owing to the difficulty in preparing cold, gas-phase C-60 in sufficiently high densities. Here we report high-resolution infrared absorption spectroscopy of C-60 in the 8.5-micron spectral region (1180 to 1190 wave number). A combination of cryogenic buffer-gas cooling and cavity-enhanced direct frequency comb spectroscopy has enabled the observation of quantum state-resolved rovibrational transitions. Characteristic nuclear spin statistical intensity patterns confirm the indistinguishability of the 60 carbon-12 atoms, while rovibrational fine structure encodes further details of the molecule's rare icosahedral symmetry.