Alkali-metal clusters as prototypes of metal clusters

Abstract

This paper presents three experiments on mass-selected alkali-metal cluster ions: the unimolecular dissociation after photoexcitation in order to determine the binding energies, the photoabsorption cross-section in an extended energy range 0.6–4 eV, and the ionization potentials of doubly and triply charged clusters. These results are well understood assuming that the valence electrons of alkali-metal clusters constitute a Fermi electron gas in a potential well.