Dynamics of cluster dissociation

Abstract

Studies of cluster ionization and dissociation are of wide-ranging interest as they contribute to a further understanding of inter-molecular energy flow and energy disposal following multiphoton ionization, as well as on the changing properties of matter undergoing transitions from the gas to condensed phase. A major advance in the study of unimolecular dissociation and the spectroscopy of clusters has become available through the use of multi-photon ionization methods coupled with time-of-flight reflectron techniques. Using single and two-color pulsed lasers, the excess energy introduced into a cluster can be controlled. The power of the method is demonstrated by results of recent investigations of cluster fragmentation following internal ion-molecule reactions in hydrogen bonded cluster systems. The role of dissociation and the influence of the thermochemical stability of cluster ions in affecting the appearance of magic numbers in certain cluster distributions is discussed. The application of this method in studying spectral shifts and determining ionization potentials of probe molecules following successive clustering with a solvent species is also presented.