Suppression of the molecular ultra-fast dissociation in bromomethane clusters.

We address the influence of clustering on the ultra-fast dissociation of bromomethane. Valence and core photo-electron spectroscopy, partial electron yield absorption, and resonant Auger spectroscopy have been used together with ab initio calculations to investigate the properties of the ultra-fast dissociation. The ratio of ultra-fast dissociation of molecules in clusters as compared to free molecules is determined to be significantly reduced. We propose partial delocalization of the excited electronic state as being responsible for this behavior.

Plasmon single- and multi-quantum excitation in free metal clusters as seen by photoelectron spectroscopy.

Plasmons are investigated in free nanoscale Na, Mg, and K metal clusters using synchrotron radiation-based x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The core levels for which the response from bulk and surface atoms can be resolved are probed over an extended binding energy range to include the plasmon loss features. In all species the features due to fundamental plasmons are identified, and in Na and K also those due to either the first order plasmon overtones or sequential plasmon excitation are observed. These features are discussed in view of earlier results for planar macroscopic samples and free clusters of the same materials.

Site-dependent spectral shifts in core-to-pi* excitations of pyridine clusters.

Site- and element-selective core-to-pi* excitation in free pyridine clusters is investigated. The experimental results indicate the occurrence of site- and size-dependent spectral shifts in the C 1s and N 1s --> pi* excitation regime. Specifically, we observe in the C 1s regime a substantial and site-dependent redshift of the low energy slopes of the C 1s --> pi* band by 90 meV in clusters relative to the bare molecule, whereas the high energy slopes of this band remain almost unchanged. In contrast, a size-dependent blueshift of the same order of magnitude is found for the entire N 1s --> pi* band. This is distinctly different from previous results on van der Waals clusters, where exclusively redshifts in 1s --> pi* transitions are observed. The experimental results are compared to ab initio calculations, which serve to simulate the 1s --> pi*( v = 0) transitions. These results clearly indicate that the spectral shifts are primarily a result of electrostatic interactions between the molecular moieties and that an antiparallel orientation of molecular units preferably dominates in variable-size pyridine clusters.

C 1s -->pi* excitation in variable size benzene clusters.

The C 1s -->pi* transition in molecular benzene and benzene clusters is investigated by photoion yields at high energy resolution. The vibrationally resolved band shows the same shape in clusters as in the bare molecule, but it is redshifted by 50 meV in small clusters, i.e. near the threshold of cluster formation. This redshift increases to 70 meV with increasing cluster size. The results are assigned in comparison with ab initio calculations on model structures of dimers, trimers, and tetramers. These indicate that different carbon sites in the molecular moieties give rise to distinct spectral shifts, where carbon sites that are pointing to the pi-system of another molecule show a larger redshift than the other ones. Such structural properties are found in solid benzene, so that the gas-to-solid shift of C 1s -->pi* excited benzene is derived to be a redshift which is of the order of 100-180 meV.

Photoionization of small krypton clusters in the Kr 3d regime: evidence for site-specific photoemission.

Kr 3d ionization energies of small, variable size krypton clusters are investigated by photoelectron spectroscopy, where the size regime of clusters with an average size N< or =30 is studied. Characteristic shifts in Kr 3d ionization energies to lower binding energies are found compared to the bare atom. These are also different from those of large krypton clusters. Moreover, we find evidence for photoionization of the krypton dimer. Its 3d ionization energy is barely shifted relative to the atomic value. Results from model calculations considering different isomers and cluster sizes as well as defect sites give evidence that the experimental results can be related to photoionization from different surface sites in variable size krypton clusters. This can be related to site-specific photoemission in small Kr clusters. The results are compared to size effects in Kr 3d near-edge features of variable size Kr clusters as well as recent results on Kr 3d photoionization of large Kr clusters.

Cluster size effects in core excitons of 1s-excited nitrogen.

Cluster size effects in core excitons below the N 1s ionization energy of nitrogen clusters are reported in the energy regime 405-410 eV. These results are compared to the molecular Rydberg states as well as the corresponding bulk excitons of condensed nitrogen. The experimental results are assigned using ab initio calculations. It is found that the lowest excitons (N 1s-->3ssigma and N 1s-->3ppi) are blueshifted relative to the molecular Rydberg transitions, whereas others (N 1s-->3dpi and N 1s-->4ppi) show a redshift. Results from ab initio calculations on (N(2))(13) clearly indicate that the molecular orientation within a cluster is critical to the spectral shift, where bulk sites as well as inner- and outer-surface sites are characterized by different inner-shell absorption energies. These results are compared to the experimental spectra as well as previous work on site-selectively excited atomic van der Waals clusters, providing an improved spectral assignment of core exciton states in weakly bound molecular clusters and the corresponding condensed phase.