X-ray spectroscopy on size-selected clusters in an ion trap: from the molecular limit to bulk properties

Abstract

An experiment was designed to perform x-ray and VUV spectroscopy on size-selected clusters in the gas phase. Using a radio frequency ion trap and a quadrupole mass filter combined with an intense magnetron sputter source made it possible to record x-ray absorption spectra of mass-selected clusters in ion yield mode. These measurements clearly reveal the development from richly structured atomic spectra to bulk-like line shapes in transition metal clusters.