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Related Experiment Videos

Fragmentation channels of large multicharged clusters.

Isidore Last1, Yaakov Levy, Joshua Jortner

  • 1School of Chemistry, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv, 69978 Tel Aviv, Israel.

The Journal of Chemical Physics
|October 29, 2005
PubMed
Summary

Fragmentation patterns in charged clusters depend on the fissibility parameter (X). Below X=1, clusters undergo fission; above X=1, they explode into ions. This applies to various systems like nuclei and optical molasses.

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Area of Science:

  • Physics
  • Physical Chemistry
  • Computational Physics

Background:

  • Fragmentation phenomena in charged systems are crucial for understanding nuclear, atomic, and molecular physics.
  • Long-range Coulomb forces significantly influence the stability and breakup of multicharged clusters.
  • Previous studies often focused on specific systems, lacking a unifying framework for diverse fragmentation channels.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To unify the understanding of fragmentation channels driven by Coulomb or pseudo-Coulomb forces across various systems.
  • To investigate the energetics, fragmentation patterns, and dynamics of multicharged clusters.
  • To establish the role of the fissibility parameter (X) in determining fragmentation pathways.

Main Methods:

  • Studied multicharged (A+)n clusters (n=55, 135, 321) using molecular-dynamics simulations.

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  • Employed the liquid drop model to describe the energetics of metastable ionic clusters.
  • Varied the fissibility parameter (X) to explore short-range (X=1-8) and long-range (X=0.1-1.0) interactions.

    • Main Results:

    • Identified two distinct fragmentation patterns: cluster fission (X<1) and Coulomb explosion (X>1).
    • The Rayleigh instability limit (X=1) separates anisotropic fission from isotropic Coulomb explosion.
    • Fission (700 fs) and Coulomb explosion (300 fs) exhibit different characteristic fragmentation times and energy distributions.

    Conclusions:

    • The fissibility parameter (X) effectively unifies fragmentation behaviors in diverse charged systems.
    • Fragmentation dynamics are strongly dependent on the balance between Coulomb and surface energies.
    • The findings are applicable to systems ranging from atomic clusters to nuclei and optical molasses.