Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics – Solar and Stellar Astrophysics
Scientific paper
2010-09-22
2010, ApJ, 724, L39
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
Solar and Stellar Astrophysics
accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal Letters (14 pages, 4 figures and 1 Table). Replaced version with slight
Scientific paper
10.1088/2041-8205/724/1/L39
Hydrogen depleted environments are considered an essential requirement for the formation of fullerenes. The recent detection of C60 and C70 fullerenes in what was interpreted as the hydrogen-poor inner region of a post-final helium shell flash Planetary Nebula (PN) seemed to confirm this picture. Here, we present evidence that challenges the current paradigm regarding fullerene formation, showing that it can take place in circumstellar environments containing hydrogen. We report the simultaneous detection of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) and fullerenes towards C-rich and H-containing PNe belonging to environments with very different chemical histories such as our own Galaxy and the Small Magellanic Cloud. We suggest that PAHs and fullerenes may be formed by the photochemical processing of hydrogenated amorphous carbon. These observations suggest that modifications may be needed to our current understanding of the chemistry of large organic molecules as well as the chemical processing in space.
Garcia-Hernandez Domingo Anibal
Garcia-Lario Pedro
Manchado Arturo
Perea-Calderón José V.
Shaw Richard A.
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