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Updated: Jun 18, 2026
10:37
Spatial Separation of Molecular Conformers and Clusters
Published on: January 9, 2014
Collective interatomic decay of multiple vacancies in clusters.
Vitali Averbukh1, Premysl Kolorenc
1Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems, Nöthnitzer Str. 38, D-01187 Dresden, Germany. vitali@mpipks-dresden.mpg.de
Physical Review Letters
|November 13, 2009
Summary
Intense free-electron laser radiation can trigger a novel collective interatomic decay in atomic clusters. This process involves simultaneous vacancy decay and ionization, transferring energy between cluster components.
Area of Science:
- Atomic and Molecular Physics
- Quantum Chemistry
- Ultrafast Science
Background:
- Inner-shell ionization by intense radiation can create complex excited states in atomic clusters.
- Interatomic Coulombic Decay (ICD) is a known relaxation pathway in molecular systems.
- The behavior of multiply ionized clusters under extreme conditions is not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To predict and investigate a novel collective interatomic decay mechanism in multiply ionized atomic clusters.
- To explore the transfer of excitation energy within clusters following inner-shell ionization.
- To analyze the competition between electronic decay and nuclear dynamics in such systems.
Main Methods:
- Theoretical prediction of a new decay mechanism.
- Computational simulations of collective decay dynamics in a (Kr+)2Ar cluster.
- Analysis of energy transfer pathways involving virtual photons.
Main Results:
- A collective interatomic decay process is predicted, involving simultaneous vacancy decay and ionization of a neighboring atom.
- This phenomenon can be viewed as a transfer of two or more virtual photons within the cluster.
- Simulations show this two-virtual-photon process is competitive with dissociative nuclear dynamics in doubly ionized clusters.
Conclusions:
- Collective interatomic decay is a potentially significant phenomenon in multiply ionized atomic clusters.
- The findings suggest new pathways for energy redistribution and fragmentation in clusters exposed to intense radiation.
- The generality of this collective decay mechanism warrants further investigation across various cluster systems.
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