Shock-induced destruction pathways of C₆₀ in the laboratory under constant temperature conditions. The shock-induced pressure rise leads to rapid collisional heating of C₆₀. The high internal energy acquired initiates a sequential process starting with fragmentation into C₅₈ + C₂. The break-up of the larger fragment continues, driven by the internal energy remaining in it or acquired through collisions with the bath gas. Below a certain size (less than ~40 carbon atoms), the energy can also be dissipated radiatively (Sect. 5) slowing down the fragmentation process. Because of the presence of hundreds to thousands of isomers for each carbon cluster between 20 and 40 carbon atoms, spectral features are blurred out and the overall emission appears blackbody-like.