Mainz 2017 – scientific programme
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A: Fachverband Atomphysik
A 12: Clusters I (with MO)
A 12.2: Talk
Tuesday, March 7, 2017, 11:30–11:45, N 6
Unusual magic numbers in Sin+-Arm clusters — •Marko Förstel, Bertram Jaeger, Philipp Sporkhorst, and Otto Dopfer — Institut für Optik und Atomare Physik, Technische Universität Berlin, Hardenbergstrasse 36, D-10623 Berlin
Silicon ions are found in the interstellar medium and in Earth’s atmosphere. They are also involved in semiconductor manufacturing processes. The fundamental chemistry, behavior, and structure of Sin+ ions are, however, still poorly understood. Here we probe the anisotropic electronic structure of the Sin+ ion in form of the Sin+-Arm potential energy surface by using argon ligands. Sin+-Arm clusters are produced in a laser vaporization source and then analyzed in a mass spectrometer. Depending on the cluster source conditions we observe unusual magic numbers that cannot be explained satisfyingly by assuming an icosahedric argon shell. We interpret our observations as an effect of the strong anisotropy in the interaction potential of the Si+ ion caused by its unpaired electron. We present the observed magic numbers of Sin+-Arm clusters and discuss the underlying structures with the help of quantum chemical calculations.