The role and diversity of fullerenes in space

富勒烯在太空中的作用和多样性

• 批准号: RGPIN-2016-06047
• 负责人: Cami, Jan
• 金额: $ 1.97万
• 依托单位: University of Western Ontario
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2018
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2018-01-01 至 2019-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=646735
• 关键词: role; diversity; fullerenes; space

The Universe contains a wide variety of carbonaceous molecules and dust grains that are first formed around red giant stars when they eject their outer envelopes into the interstellar medium. This carbonaceous material is further processed, first by intense UV radiation when the hot stellar core is exposed and lights up the surrounding material as a planetary nebula; later by energetic radiation and particles in the interstellar medium. Only the most stable species, such as buckyballs, can survive the rigors of space. Eventually, this material collects in the form of giant molecular clouds in which the next generation of stars and planets are formed – seeded thus with the molecules and dust ejected by red giant stars. ******Astronomers can study distant molecules and dust grains because each species imprints a specific color pattern (“spectral fingerprint”) in starlight. Recently, my research team discovered the unmistakable spectral fingerprint of buckyballs in observations of a planetary nebula. Buckyballs (also known as buckminsterfullerene or C60) are microscopic particles composed of 60 carbon atoms, shaped like a soccer ball. Very recently, it has been proven that charged buckyballs (C60+) are responsible for four of the “diffuse interstellar bands” (DIBs), a set of hundreds of mysterious spectral fingerprints that we see whenever starlight is dimmed by intervening clouds of interstellar gas and dust. This is the first – and only – time that any of these prominent interstellar fingerprints has been unambiguously identified with a specific molecule, demonstrating that buckyballs are ubiquitous and abundant in our galaxy. Although we have learned much about cosmic buckyballs in recent years, we do not yet understand how they form, what other related molecular structures form at the same time, or what other stable species is responsible for the rest of the DIBs. Answering those questions is essential for our understanding of the inventory of carbonaceous materials in the Universe – our cosmic roots. ******I propose a research program that will determine the precise conditions and chemical pathways that lead to the formation of buckyballs and other carbonaceous materials in space. I will do this by analyzing tailored, state-of-the-art astronomical observations, and by developing detailed astrochemical models for the formation of carbonaceous species in planetary nebulae. I will also produce the largest and most detailed DIB catalog ever, to find any DIBs that are related to C60, and to turn the DIBs into powerful probes of their environment. ******This research will reveal some of the hardiest carbonaceous materials in the Universe and elucidate the currently unknown pathways to form them. These processes are important to materials science researchers and the manufacturing industry. It will also turn several young researchers into data scientists with skills that are highly desired in Canadian industry. **

宇宙中含有各种各样的碳质分子和尘埃颗粒，这些碳质分子和尘埃颗粒首先在红巨星将其外壳喷射到星际介质中时形成，这种碳质材料首先在炽热的恒星核心暴露时受到强烈的紫外线辐射的进一步处理。并照亮周围的物质，形成行星状星云；随后，通过星际介质中的高能辐射和粒子，只有最稳定的物质，例如巴基球，才能在严酷的太空中生存下来。下一代恒星和行星形成的巨型分子云——因此用红巨星喷射的分子和尘埃播种。 ******天文学家可以研究遥远的分子和尘埃颗粒，因为每个物种都印有特定的印记。最近，我的研究小组在对行星状星云（也称为巴克敏斯特富勒烯或巴基球）的观测中发现了明显的巴基球光谱指纹。 C60）是由 60 个碳原子组成的微观粒子，形状像足球 最近，已证明带电巴基球 (C60+) 是四个“弥漫星际带”(DIB) 的形成者，该带由数百个组成。每当星光因星际气体和尘埃云而变暗时，我们就会看到神秘的光谱指纹，这是第一次也是唯一一次出现这些突出的星际指纹。明确地识别为特定分子，表明巴基球在我们的银河系中无处不在且丰富，尽管近年来我们对宇宙巴基球有了很多了解，但我们还不了解它们是如何形成的，以及其他相关分子结构同时形成的，或其他稳定的物种负责其余的 DIB，对于我们了解宇宙中碳质材料的库存（我们的宇宙根源）至关重要。确定导致巴基球和其他碳质材料在太空中形成的精确条件和化学途径，我将通过分析定制的、最先进的天文观测，并开发碳质形成的详细天体化学模型来实现这一目标。我还将制作有史以来最大、最详细的 DIB 目录，以查找与 C60 相关的任何 DIB，并将 DIB 转化为对其环境的强大探测器。将揭示宇宙中一些最坚硬的碳质材料，并阐明目前未知的形成它们的途径。这些过程对材料科学研究人员和制造业很重要，它还将把一些年轻的研究人员培养成拥有急需技能的数据科学家。在加拿大工业。**