Interstellar C60+
  Buckminsterfullerene (C60) was recently detected through its infrared
emission bands in the interstellar medium (ISM), including in the proximity of
massive stars, where physical conditions could favor the formation of the
cationic form, C60+. In addition, C60+ was proposed as the carrier of two
diffuse interstellar bands in the near-IR, although a firm identification still
awaits for gas-phase spectroscopic data. We examined in details the Spitzer IRS
spectra of the NGC 7023 reflection nebula, at a position close (7.5") to the
illuminating B star HD 200775, and found four previously unreported bands at
6.4, 7.1, 8.2 and 10.5 \mu m in addition to the classical bands attributed to
Polycylic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) and neutral C60. These 4 bands are
observed only in this region of the nebula, while C60 emission is still present
slightly further away from the star, and PAH emission even further away. Based
on this observation, on theoretical calculations we perform, and on laboratory
studies, we attribute these bands to C60+. The detection of C60+ confirms the
idea that large carbon molecules exist in the gas-phase in these environments.
In addition, the relative variation of the C60, and C60+, band intensities
constitutes a potentially powerful probe of the physical conditions in highly
UV-irradiated regions.
