LOW-ENERGY ELECTRON-IMPACT SPECTROSCOPY OF C-60 BUCKMINSTERFULLERENE MOLECULE

The methods of electron-impact spectroscopy were utilized to obtain th e first low-energy, high-resolution energy-loss spectra of gas phase p ure C-60 and C-60 + C-70 mixture buckminsterfullerene molecules over a range of scattering angles. The impact energies and scattering angles ranged from 8 to 100 eV and 0 degrees to 90 degrees, respectively. Br oad spectral features in the energy-loss spectra have been assigned to overlapping electronic transitions based on the identification of fea tures in the photoabsorption spectrum of C-60 molecules in n-hexane so lution by Leach et al. Pure vibrational excitation features were also observed. The relative scattering intensities of these spectral featur es represent the corresponding relative cross sections.