Gobet F, Farizon B, Farizon M, Gaillard MJ, Buchet JP, Carré M, Märk TD. Probing the liquid-to-gas phase transition in a cluster via a caloric curve.
PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2001;
87:203401. [PMID:
11690473 DOI:
10.1103/physrevlett.87.203401]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2001] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
High-energy collisions ( 60 keV/amu) of hydrogen cluster ions with a helium target have been completely analyzed on an event-by-event basis. By selecting specific decay reactions we can start after the energizing collision with a microcanonical cluster ion ensemble of fixed excitation energy and we derive corresponding temperatures of the decaying cluster ions. The relation between the temperature and the excitation energy (caloric curve) exhibits the typical prerequisites of a first-order phase transition in a finite system, in the present case signaling the transition from a bound cluster to the gas phase.
Collapse