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Updated: Jul 19, 2025

Preparation and Characterization of C60/Graphene Hybrid Nanostructures
Published on: May 15, 2018
Ergodicity breaking in rapidly rotating C60 fullerenes
Lee R Liu1,2, Dina Rosenberg1,2, P Bryan Changala1,2
1JILA, National Institute of Standards and Technology and University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309, USA.
Abstract:
Ergodicity, the central tenet of statistical mechanics, requires an isolated system to explore all available phase space constrained by energy and symmetry. Mechanisms for violating ergodicity are of interest for probing nonequilibrium matter and protecting quantum coherence in complex systems. Polyatomic molecules have long served as a platform for probing ergodicity breaking in vibrational energy transport. Here, we report the observation of rotational ergodicity breaking in an unprecedentedly large molecule, 12C60, determined from its icosahedral rovibrational fine structure. The ergodicity breaking occurs well below the vibrational ergodicity threshold and exhibits multiple transitions between ergodic and nonergodic regimes with increasing angular momentum. These peculiar dynamics result from the molecule's distinctive combination of symmetry, size, and rigidity, highlighting its relevance to emergent phenomena in mesoscopic quantum systems.
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