https://doi.org/10.1140/epjd/e2003-00140-7
Stability and fragmentation processes of highly charged sodium clusters
CIRIL, CEA-CNRS-ISMRA, Rue C. Bloch, B.P. 5133, 14070 Caen Cedex 05, France
Corresponding author: a manil@ganil.fr
Received:
10
September
2002
Published online:
3
July
2003
Highly charged sodium clusters produced in collisions between neutral clusters and multiply charged ions are formed within a large range of temperatures and fissilities, and identified by means of a high-resolution reflectron-type time-of-flight mass spectrometer (
). The limit of stability of these charged clusters is experimentally investigated, and the time-of-flight spectra are compared with theoretical spectra based on Monte-Carlo simulations. The results indicate that the maximum fissility (X) of stable clusters is approaching the Rayleigh limit (X = 1) for larger clusters sizes. It is mainly limited by the initial neutral cluster temperature (
K) and the energy transfer in the ionizing collision. In addition, the comparison between the measured and simulated spectra suggests for high cluster charges a multi-fragmentation process, in which most of charge is emitted, creating low charged residual cluster ions.
PACS: 36.40.Wa – Charged clusters / 34.70.+e – Charge transfer / 36.40.Qv – Stability and fragmentation of clusters / 61.46.+w – Nanoscale materials: clusters, nanoparticles, nanotubes, and nanocrystals
© EDP Sciences, Società Italiana di Fisica, Springer-Verlag, 2003
