Fragmentation dynamics of argon clusters (Arn, n=2 to 11) following electron-impact ionization: Modeling and comparison with experiment

International audienceThe fragmentation dynamics of argon clusters ionized by electron impact is investigated for initial cluster sizes up to n=11 atoms. The dynamics of the argon atoms is modeled using a mixed quantum-classical method in which the nuclei are treated classically and the transitions between electronic states quantum mechanically. The potential-energy surfaces are derived from a diatomics-in-molecules model with the addition of the induced dipole-induced dipole and spin-orbit interactions. The results show extensive and fast fragmentation. The dimer is the most abundant ionic fragment, with a proportion increasing from 66% for n=2 to a maximum of 95% for n=6 and then decreasing down to 67% for n=11. The next abundant fragment is the monomer for n<7 and the trimer otherwise. The parent ion dissociation lifetimes are all in the range of 1ps. Long-lived trajectories appear for initial cluster sizes of seven and higher, and favor the formation of the larger fragments (trimers and tetramers). Our results show quantitative agreement with available experimental results concerning the extensive character of the fragmentation: Ar+ and Ar+2 are the only ionic fragments for sizes up to five atoms; their overall proportion is in quantitative agreement for all the studied sizes; Ar+2 is the main fragment for all sizes; stable Ar+3 fragments only appear for n⩾5, and their proportion increases smoothly with cluster size from there. However, the individual ionic monomer and dimer fragment proportions differ. The experimental ones exhibit oscillations with initial cluster size, with a slight tendency to decrease on average for the monomer. In contrast our results show a monotonic, systematic evolution, similar to what was found in our earlier studies on neon and krypton clusters. Several hypotheses are discussed in order to find the origin of this discrepancy. Finally, the metastable II(1∕2)u and II(1∕2)g states of Ar+2 are found to decay with a lifetime of 3.5 and 0.1ps, respectively, due to spin-orbit coupling. The difference with the commonly accepted microsecond range value for rare-gas dimer ions could originate from the role of autoionizing states in the formation of the parent ions