Direct measurement of internal energy of fragmented C60

A new experimental approach has been investigated to measure directly the internal energy of fragmented C-60. Doubly charged C-60(2+)* prepared in collisions H++C-60 -> H-+C-60(2+)* decay by evaporation of C-2 units. We have measured the internal energy distribution of the transient C-60(2+)* for each decay channel by analyzing the kinetic energy loss of the scattered anion H-. This method offers an experimental opportunity for studying the fragmentation dynamics of more complex systems such as larger clusters and biomolecules under internal energy controlled conditions.