Ejection of a doubly charged light fragment in asymmetric fission of multiply charged fullerenes

In Ar8+-C60 collisions, quintuply charged fullerenes C605+ is produced via multiple electron capture by slow highly charged ions from neutral fullerenes. Quasi-symmetric charge division (3, 2) is observed in asymmetric mass division fission processes, i.e. C605+ → C60-m3++Cm++(m<<60). In such fission channels, the charge density of the doubly charged light fragment is much higher than that of the triply charged heavy one. The measured population distribution as a function of the mass of the doubly charged fragment m is interpreted tentatively by fission barrier analyses. (authors)