Eur. Phys. J. D 28, 367-372 (2004)
https://doi.org/10.1140/epjd/e2003-00317-0

Mixed (Ar)_n(N₂)_m van der Waals clusters created by pick-up technique

¹ Laboratoire de Physique des Interfaces et des Couches Minces, CNRS, École Polytechnique, 91128 Palaiseau Cedex, France
² Department of Physics, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, P.R. China

Corresponding authors: ^a shenghong.yang@polytechnique.fr - ^b chatelet@leonardo.polytechnique.fr

Received: 8 August 2003
Revised: 13 November 2003
Published online: 6 January 2004

Abstract

A comparison of the adsorption efficiencies for Ar atoms on large (N () clusters and N₂ molecules on large (Ar)_n () clusters has been investigated by the pick-up technique. Using mass spectroscopy, it has been shown that mixed (Ar)_n(N clusters can be created either by depositing Ar atoms from buffer gas on the surface of (N clusters or by depositing N₂ molecules from buffer gas on the surface of (Ar)_n clusters. The composition of mixed (Ar)_n(N clusters has been determined as a function of cluster size and buffer gas pressure. The adsorption efficiency for Ar on (N clusters is found to be significantly higher than that for N₂ on (Ar)_n clusters. This effect is attributed to the difference in Ar–Ar, N₂–N₂ and Ar–N₂ binding energies.