Question

Buckminsterfullerene, C60, is a large molecule consisting of 60 carbon atoms connected to form a hollow sphere. The diameter of a C60 molecule is about 7×10−10 m. It has been hypothesized that C60 molecules might be found in clouds of interstellar dust, which often contain interesting chemical compounds. The temperature of an interstellar dust cloud may be very low, around 3 K. Suppose you are planning to try to detect the presence of C60 in such a cold dust cloud by detecting photons emitted when molecules undergo transitions from one rotational energy state to another. Approximately, what is the highest-numbered rotational level from which you would expect to observe emissions? Rotational levels are l = 0,1,2,3,...

Assume that you will see emission from a state if 1/e≈1/3 of the molecules are in that state.

Answer 1