Protonated Clusters of Neon and Krypton

Area of Science:

• Physical Chemistry
• Atomic and Molecular Physics
• Condensed Matter Physics

Background:

• Protonated rare gas clusters exhibit distinct magic sizes compared to cationic clusters, as observed in argon studies.
• Understanding cluster behavior is crucial for advancements in spectroscopy and materials science.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the magic sizes of cationic and protonated neon and krypton clusters.
• To compare the behavior of neon and krypton clusters with previously studied argon clusters.

Main Methods:

• Experimental study of cationic and protonated neon and krypton clusters.
• Analysis of cluster properties to identify magic numbers.

Main Results:

• Neon clusters behave similarly to argon, showing differences between cationic and protonated magic sizes.
• Cationic krypton clusters exhibit greater similarity to protonated krypton clusters than lighter rare gases do.
• Shared magic numbers were identified between cationic and protonated krypton clusters.

Conclusions:

• Neon cluster behavior aligns with lighter rare gases, while krypton displays unique properties.
• The findings highlight the influence of atomic mass on rare gas cluster behavior and magic number characteristics.