Abstract

Alkali atoms and small clusters are known to reside on the surface of a helium droplet rather than its inside as most other dopant species. A theoretical investigation suggested that alkali clusters (Li–Rb) exceeding a certain critical size can become submerged in the droplet, which was experimentally confirmed for sodium and potassium. Here, we report an analogous experimental study of rubidium cluster submersion by means of electron impact mass spectrometry. We recorded size distributions of Rb cluster ions at various electron energies between 8 and 160 eV. Our data suggest that Rb clusters attached to helium droplets undergo a gradual submersion transition similar to potassium, ultimately leading to the full submersion of clusters larger than \(\sim 100~\hbox {Rb}\) atoms. Our findings are consistent with previous theoretical and experimental studies.

Graphic abstract

中文翻译：

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he簇在氦纳米液滴中的浸没

摘要

已知碱原子和小团簇驻留在氦滴的表面上，而不是像大多数其他掺杂剂一样位于其内部。理论研究表明，超过一定临界尺寸的碱金属团簇（Li–Rb）可能会浸入液滴中，这在钠盐和钾盐中得到了实验证实。在这里，我们报告通过电子冲击质谱法进行cluster团簇浸没的类似实验研究。我们记录了在8和160 eV之间的各种电子能量下Rb簇离子的尺寸分布。我们的数据表明，附着在氦滴上的Rb团簇经历类似于钾的逐渐浸没过渡，最终导致大于\（\ sim 100〜\ hbox {Rb} \）的团簇完全浸没。原子。我们的发现与先前的理论和实验研究一致。

图形摘要