Ion-imaging study of C60 fragmentation

Time-resolved velocity-map imaging has been used to measure the kinetic energy of the ion fragments C 2 n + (44 ⩽ 2n ⩽ 60) produced from C60 excited by a nanosecond laser in the near UV. The time resolution of our imaging spectrometer allows measuring mass-resolved kinetic energy distributions. Measured average kinetic energies are compared to a statistical model based on detailed balance, taking into account the competition between C2 emission and delayed ionization. Good agreement is achieved between experiment and model. A comparison with previously published measurements is presented.