ELECTROSTATIC SCREENING IN FULLERENE MOLECULES

The screening properties of fullerene molecules are described by means of a continuum model which uses the electronic wave functions of planar graphite as a starting point. The long-distance behavior of the system gives rise to a renormalizable theory, which flows towards a nontrivial fixed point. Its existence implies an anomalous dielectric constant. The screening properties are neither metallic nor insulating. Alternatively, the intramolecular screening is obtained from a simple approximation to the electronic wave functions. Intermolecular effects are also calculated. As a consistency check, it is shown that the observed polarizability of C₆₀ is well-reproduced.