Eur. Phys. J. D 1, 303-311 (1998)
https://doi.org/10.1007/s100530050097

Ionization of metal clusters by ions in the Fermi velocity range

¹ Institut für Theoretische Physik, Universität Erlangen, Staudtstr. 7, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
² Laboratoire de Physique Quantique, Université Paul Sabatier, 118 route de Narbonne, 31062 Toulouse Cedex, France
³ Department of Physics, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri 65211, USA

Corresponding author: ^a suraud@irsamc2.ups-tlse.fr

Received: 28 July 1997
Revised: 23 December 1997
Accepted: 8 January 1998
Published online: 15 March 1998

Abstract

We simulate excitation of metal clusters by highly charged, energetic ions, analyzing electron emission in terms of discrete ionization probabilities. Our test case is the collision of on the cluster at velocities around the electronic Fermi velocity of bulk sodium. The calculations are performed with a density-functional approach, using the time-dependent local density approximation. We find that ionization takes place on an extremely short time scale of less than 5 fs. The preferred final charge state depends sensitively on the impact parameter. High ionization can easily be achieved in sufficiently close collisions. Direct trapping through the by-passing ion is found to be of little importance at the velocities considered.