RAMAN-STUDY OF PHOTOEXCITED C60

The high-energy pentagonal pinch mode of C60 is known to soften under high incident laser irradiance in an oxygen-free environment. We have studied this phenomenon in C60 films, single crystals, and solutions i n CS2. Our Raman, optical absorption, and EPR data indicate that the s oftened Raman peak is related to very long lived states in C60. The ex periments are consistent with the recently proposed photoinduced polym erization of C60 and also suggest the presence of C60 anions in the ph otoexcited material.