Lifetime measurements with fullerene ions in a heavy-ion storage ring

Positive and negative fullerene ions have been stored in a heavy-ion storage ring. The authors found confinement times (storage lifetimes) of the order of 2 to 10 s, the limit being set by collisional destruction in the background gas. The data also show a short decay time of the order of some milliseconds. This component was considerably longer for the negative C₆₀ and C₇₀ ions than the neighboring negative C₅₈ and C₆₈ ions. The authors discuss the possible processes that may account for the observation of the ms-decay times. The present technique may provide an excellent way to produce and study cold clusters