Interplay Between the Repulsive and Attractive Interaction and the Spacial Dimensionality of an Excess Electron in a Simple Fluid

Abstract

The behavior of an excess electron in a one, two and three dimensional classical liquid has been studied with the aid of Chandler, Singh and Richardson (CSR) theory [J. Chem. Phys.81, 1975 (1984)]. The size or dispersion of the wavepacket associated with the solvated electron is very sensitive to the interaction between the electron and fluid atoms, and exhibits complicated behavior in its density dependence. The behavior is interpreted in terms of an interplay among four causes: the excluded volume effect due to solvent, the pair attractive interaction between the electron and a solvent atom, the thermal wavelength of the electron (λe), a balance of the attractive interactions from different solvent atoms and the range of repulsive interaction between electron and solvent atom. Electron self-trapping behavior in all the dimensions has been studied for the same solvent-solvent and electron-solvent interaction potential and the results are presented for the same parameter in every dimension to show the comparison between the various dimensions.