Bound electron states in clusters of inert atoms in a magnetic field

Abstract

An external magnetic field is shown to stabilize negatively charged clusters of inert atoms. In an external magnetic field the critical number of atoms in a cluster, necessary to bound an excess electron to a neutral cluster, is less than that in the absence of a field. General conditions for creation of electron bound states in a cluster in a magnetic field are considered. PACS: 36.40. +d; 31.20.Ej; 33.80.-b We witness an increased interest in the study of charged clusters of inert gases [1 ‐ 3]. The critical number of atoms at which an electron can be trapped by a cluster were found in [2] for ( Ar) n , (Kr) n , (Xe) n , clusters. These charged clusters are difficult to observe near the critical size because the electron wave function is highly diffuse and the bound state energy is close to zero. The formation of deeper electron levels requires clusters with the number of atoms by an order of magnitude greater than their critical values. In this work electron states are examined in the clusters of inert gases placed in a magnetic field. In the case of an external magnetic field the electron level becomes deeper, thus, the charged cluster is stabilized and the critical number of atoms in a cluster necessary to bound an electron is less than that without a magnetic field. According to the simple continuum model [2], the potential energy of an electron in a cluster is defined by the relation