Interstellar medium hydrogenated fullerenes

We give an estimation of the carbon fraction locked in these molecules. We discuss the rotation rates and electric dipole emission of hydrogenated icosahedral fullerenes in various phases of the interstellar medium. These molecules could be the carriers of the anomalous microwave emission detected by Watson et al. (Astrophys. J. 624 L89,2005) in the Perseus molecular complex and Cassasus et al. (2006) in the dark cloud LDN 1622. Hydrogenated forms of fullerenes may account for the dust-correlated microwave emission detected in our Galaxy by Cosmic Microwave Background experiments. 

Finally, hydrogenated fullerenes have been proposed as carriers of the anomalous microwave emission recently detected by several experiments on the Cosmic Microwave Background (Iglesias-Groth 2005, 2006). In the interstellar medium these molecules should spin with rates of several to tens of gigaHertz, if as expected they have a small dipole moment, then they would emit electric dipole radiation in a frequency range very similar to that observed for the anomalous microwave emission. 

A significant fraction of the fullerenes and buckyonions in the interstellar medium could be hydrogenated as discussed by Webster in 1992 (see Fig. 1.4). These molecules, named genetically as fulleranes have deserved attention as potential carriers of diffuse intestellar bands and other interstellar and circumstellar features (Webster 1991, 1992, 1993a). Both, fullerenes and fulleranes have been detected in samples of the Allende meteorite (Becker et al. 1994), see Fig. 1.3b. 

Using the theoretical cross sections and available empirical data on the 4,430 A band it is derived a fullerene abundance of 0.1 molecules per million hydrogen atoms in regions of the interstellar medium with excess color index of E(B - V) = 1.0. 

Hydrogenated fullerenes and buckyonions may produce rotationally based electric dipole microwave radiation under the conditions of the diffuse interstellar medium. These molecules are potential carriers for the anomalous Galactic micro-wave emission recently detected by several cosmic microwave experiments. Their precise contribution to this emission should be fully investigated. 

Fullerene-Like Structures on Carbon Dust of the Interstellar Medium Their Role in Molecular Hydrogen Formation... 

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