Hannover 2016 – scientific programme

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SYML: Symposium From First Molecules to Life

SYML 2: Molecules and Ions in Isolation

SYML 2.6: Invited Talk

Wednesday, March 2, 2016, 16:15–16:45, e415

Lead-cluster investigations at ClusterTrap — Stephan König, Paul Fischer, Gerrit Marx, •Lutz Schweikhard, Markus Wolfram, and Albert Vass — Institut für Physik, Universität Greifswald, Felix-Hausdorff-Str. 6, 17489 Greifswald

During the last couple of years the Penning-trap setup ClusterTrap has been further extended and used for studies of the production and properties of poly-anionic metal clusters, focusing mainly on the elements gold and aluminum. Recent experiments reached out to further elements including lead. As before, the lead clusters were exposed to an "electron bath": Mono-anionic lead clusters were produced in a laser vaporization source and were transferred and captured in the trap; by shooting primary electrons axially through the trap, argon buffer-gas atoms are ionized. The argon cations immediately leave the trap while the secondary electrons stay stored and can attach to the clusters - provided they overcome the repulsing Coulomb barrier. The measurements as a function of cluster size yield the appearance sizes for doubly and triply charged anionic clusters. In addition, and unlike the other clusters, the lead clusters show distinct dissociation patterns, with very prominent peaks at the (monoanionic) dodecamer and in particular the decamer. These clusters are also dominant in photodissociation spectra of larger mono-anions and apparently also of the dianions. The experiments are still ongoing and will be extended with respect to further charge states, including cationic species.