Fragmentation scheme of C604+ ions produced in low-energy collisions of Ar8+ and C60

Fragmentation schemes of C-60(4+), fullerene ions produced by bombardment of Ar8+ ions at low energies (nu similar or equal to 0.24 a.u.) have been investigated. By analyzing the time of flight of the fragments in coincidence with the outgoing projectiles and the ejected electrons, several dissociation channels have been identified that involve the loss of small neutral as well as charged fragments. The probability of each channel has been measured experimentally and compared to the calculation based on a theoretical model including a statistical description of the evaporation, and a simulation of the multistep cascade decay for sequential losses of low mass fragments. The initial energy of the C-60(4+) ion and the dissociation energy of each channel have also been evaluated. [S1050-2947(99)06004-7].