The electronic structure of free aluminum clusters: metallicity and plasmons

The electronic structure of free aluminum clusters with ∼3-4 nm radius has been investigated using synchrotron radiation-based photoelectron and Auger electron spectroscopy. A beam of free clusters has been produced using a gas-aggregation source. The 2p core level and the valence band have been probed. Photoelectron energy-loss features corresponding to both bulk and surface plasmon excitation following photoionization of the 2p level have been observed, and the excitation energies have been derived. In contrast to some expectations, the loss features have been detected at energies very close to those of the macroscopic solid. The results are discussed from the point of view of metallic properties in nanoparticles with a finite number of constituent atoms.