A Molecular Dynamics Study of Silver Microclusters

Abstract

Employing a recently developed empirical many-body potential energy function, we obtained the ground-state structures of silver microclusters (N=3-9, 13) using molecular dynamics and quenching method. The present configurations for clusters (N=3-6) agree well with the available literature values, while the structures for clusters (N=7-9, 13) are newly reported. Also, we find that there is a distinct alternation between even and odd numbered neutral silver clusters with growing cluster size.