  The possibility of high temperature superconductivity in organic compounds
has been discussed since the pioneering work of Little in 1964, with
unsatisfactory progress until the recent report of a weak Meissner shielding
effect at 120 Kelvin in potassium-doped para-terphenyl samples. To date
however, no other signals of the superconductivity have been shown, including
the zero-resistance state or evidence for the formation of the Cooper pairs
that are inherent to the superconducting state. Here, using high-resolution
photoemission spectroscopy on potassium surface-doped para-terphenyl crystals,
we uncover low energy gaps that persist to approximately 120 K. Among a few
potential origins for these gaps, we argue that the onset of electron pairing
within molecules is most likely. And while pairing gaps are a prerequisite for
high temperature superconductivity they do not guarantee it. Rather, the
development of long-range phase coherence between the paired states on the
molecules is necessary, requiring good wavefunction overlap between molecular
states--something that is in general difficult for such weakly overlapping
molecules.
