Photo fragmentation of metal clusters stored in a penning trap

Photo fragmentation studies of stored mass selected metal cluster ions of a large size range are reported. The experimental method and the data evaluation are described in detail. Gold cluster ions were produced by laser vaporization and stored in a Penning trap. After size selection they were electronically excited by irradiation with a pulsed laser beam. Relaxation by evaporation of neutral atoms and dimers was observed as a function of photon energy. From these data upper and lower limits for dissociation energies are determined for Au⁺_n (n=3 to 23).     

Quantum dynamics of a discontinuously kicked charged particle in harmonic,symmetric double,or triple wells

The quantum dynamics of a charged particle in a harmonic trap in the presence of discontinuous reversals of a homogeneous or an inhomogeneous electric field is studied. The dynamics reveals classically expected patterns in harmonic wells. In a symmetric double‐well potential, the discontinuously switched low intensity homogeneous electric field does not appear to assist tunneling, whereas an inhomogeneous electric field is found to assist the process. Resonance like enhancement is noticed at a critical reversal frequency. Dynamics in a triple well is also analyzed under similar conditions. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2009     

Adiabatic cooling of ions in the penning trap

An ion cloud in a Penning trap can be cooled by adiabatic expansion by reducing the trap's magnetic and electric fields. We treat the ion cloud as a classical gas and obtain the relations between the temperature and the trapping fields. This cooling method may be useful in trapping and cooling of antiprotons with the aim of measuring the gravitational accleration of anti-protons and other experiments on heavy ions.     

Molecular dynamics simulations of polyelectrolyte multilayering on a charged particle

Molecular dynamics simulations of polyelectrolyte multilayering on a charged spherical particle revealed that the sequential adsorption of oppositely charged flexible polyelectrolytes proceeds with surface charge reversal and highlighted electrostatic interactions as the major driving force of layer deposition. Far from being completely immobilized, multilayers feature a constant surge of chain intermixing during the deposition process, consistent with experimental observations of extensive interlayer mixing in these films. The formation of multilayers as well as the extent of layer intermixing depends on the degree of polymerization of the polyelectrolyte chains and the fraction of charge on its backbone. The presence of ionic pairs between oppositely charged macromolecules forming layers seems to play an important role in stabilizing the multilayer film.     

Hetero charged ion clusters in a Paul trap

We prove that stable Coulomb clusters consisting of ions of both signs of charge exist in a Paul trap.     

A quantum particle in a combined trap

In this paper, a quantum solution for a particle moving in a combined Penning and Paul trap is obtained in the effective potential approximation. It is shown that at sufficiently large frequencies Ω the effective potential approximation is good.     

Radiation of a relativistic charged particle in matter

Radiation produced by a relativistic charged particle in matter is described in terms of the radiation energy loss. It allows us to take into account the matter absorption and derive energy-angular distributions of the emitted photons for different particle trajectories. The Doppler radiation produced by laser pulses in matter and the influence of multiple scattering on the angular distribution of radiation are considered. The radiation in left-handed materials is discussed.     

Barrier crossing dynamics of a charged particle in the presence of a magnetic field: a new turnover phenomenon

In this paper we have investigated the effect of a magnetic field on the barrier crossing rate of a charged particle. At the low friction regime we have observed a new turnover phenomenon for the variation of rate as a function of field strength. Thus although the force due to the magnetic field is not dissipative in nature, it plays a role in the steady state barrier crossing rate similar to that of a dissipative force in the weak damping regime. For appreciable damping strength, the rate monotonically decreases with the increase of field strength. We have demonstrated an interesting resonance effect due to the variation of frequency of the harmonic oscillator associated with the y-component motion at low damping and magnetic field strength.     

The two radii of a charged particle

The existence of two radii of each charged particle-a geometric and electrokinetic radii, is supposed. The mathematical relationship between them in the four possible combinations of an ion and its counterion is analyzed: (i) at equal geometric radii and, in absolute values, equal valencies; (ii) at equal geometric radii and, in absolute values, different valencies; (iii) at different geometric radii and, in absolute values, equal valencies; (iv) at different geometric radii and, in absolute values, different valencies. One of the equations worked out can be used to define the relationship between the geometric and electrokinetic radii of a polyion. All the equations are used in working out precise calculations.     

Transient electrophoresis of a charged porous particle

The starting electrophoretic motion of a porous, uniformly charged, spherical particle, which models a solvent-permeable and ion-penetrable polyelectrolyte coil or floc of nanoparticles, in an arbitrary electrolyte solution due to the sudden application of an electric field is studied for the first time. The unsteady Stokes/Brinkman equations with the electric force term governing the fluid velocity fields are solved by means of the Laplace transform. An analytical formula for the electrophoretic mobility of the porous sphere is obtained as a function of the dimensionless parameters , , , and , where a is the radius of the particle, κ is the Debye screening parameter, λ is the reciprocal of the square root of the fluid permeability in the particle, ρ_p and ρ are the mass densities of the particle and fluid, respectively, ν is the kinematic viscosity of the fluid, and t is the time. The electrophoretic mobility normalized by its steady-state value increases monotonically with increases in and , but decreases monotonically with an increase in , keeping the other parameters unchanged. In general, a porous particle with a high fluid permeability trails behind an identical porous particle with a lower permeability and a corresponding hard particle in the growth of the normalized electrophoretic mobility The normalized electrophoretic acceleration of the porous sphere decreases monotonically with an increase in the time and increases with an increase in from zero at .     

Channeling in charged particle analysis

When a matrix of interest is a single crystal the channeling phenomenon can be exploited to increase the scope of charged particle analyses. One application provides increased sensitivity and precision in the analysis of surface films; another a means of locating foreign atoms within the crystal lattice.     

Diffusiophoresis of a moderately charged spherical colloidal particle

An analytic expression is obtained for the diffusiophoretic mobility of a charged spherical colloidal particle in a symmetrical electrolyte solution. The obtained expression, which is expressed in terms of exponential integrals, is correct to the third order of the particle zeta potential so that it is applicable for colloidal particles with low and moderate zeta potentials at arbitrary values of the electrical double-layer thickness. This is an improvement of the mobility formula derived by Keh and Wei, which is correct to the second order of the particle zeta potential. This correction, which is related to the electrophoresis component of diffusiophoresis, becomes more significant as the difference between the ionic drag coefficients of electrolyte cations and anions becomes larger and vanishes in the limit of thin or thick double layer. A simpler approximate mobility expression is further obtained that does not involve exponential integrals.     

Standardization in charged particle activation analysis

Standardization methods in activation analysis with charged particles are studied critically. Several approximate standardization methods that do not require knowledge of the excitation function are compared with the “numerical integration method” using excitation function data from the literature. It is shown that these methods yield accurate results if the threshold energy of the considered reaction is high and if sample and standard have a comparable Z value. A method that gives a rapid estimate of the maximum possible error is also presented. It is shown that for the “numerical integration method” the accuracy of the excitation function data has only a small influence on the overall accuracy. The influence of the accuracy of stopping power data and of possible deviations from Bragg's rule for light element standards is also considered. “Bevoegdverklaard navorser” of the NFWO.     

Equilibrium theory for a particle pulled by a moving optical trap

The viscous drag on a colloidal particle pulled through solution by an optical trap is large enough that on experimentally relevant time scales the mechanical force exerted by the trap is equal and opposite the viscous drag force. The rapid mechanical equilibration allows the system to be modeled using equilibrium theory where the effects of the energy dissipation (thermodynamic disequilibrium) show up only in the coordinate transformations that map the system from the laboratory frame of reference, relative to which the particle is moving, to a frame of reference in which the particle is, on average, stationary and on which the stochastic dynamics is governed by a canonical equilibrium distribution function. The simple equations in the stationary frame can be analyzed using the Onsager-Machlup theory for stochastic systems and provide generalizations of equilibrium and near equilibrium concepts such as detailed balance and fluctuation-dissipation relations applicable to a wide range of systems including molecular motors, pumps, and other nanoscale machines.     

离子阱颗粒质谱研究进展

随着质谱技术的不断发展,对超高质量颗粒物质的分析已经成为质谱领域研究的一个重要方向.离子阱颗粒质谱(particle ion trap mass spectrometry)作为用于完整颗粒质量分析的有利工具,拓展了质谱技术在巨大颗粒物质量分析中的应用范围.本文对离子阱颗粒质谱仪器的研究进展及其在各个领域的应用进行了综述,并展望了离子阱颗粒质谱未来的发展趋势.     

Adsorption of charged dendrimers: a Brownian dynamics study

The adsorption of isolated charged dendrimers onto oppositely charged flat surfaces is studied in this work using Brownian dynamics simulations. The dendrimer is modeled as a freely jointed bead-rod chain in which excluded-volume interactions are modeled by a repulsive Lennard-Jones potential and bead-bead and bead-surface electrostatic interactions are described by screened Coulombic potentials. Adsorption behavior is studied as a function of inverse screening length, dendrimer generation, and dendrimer charge distribution. Adsorbed dendrimers adopt a disclike conformation in which they flatten in the direction normal to the surface and expand in the direction parallel to the surface. As the inverse screening length increases, the dendrimer expands in the normal direction and contracts in the parallel direction, adopting a conformation that is more stretched in the normal direction. When the inverse screening length becomes sufficiently large, the dendrimer desorbs and adopts a spherelike conformation. Bead density profiles show that adsorbed dendrimers form a two-layer structure, with one layer corresponding to adsorbed beads and a second, less dense layer corresponding to beads one rod length away from the surface. They also reveal how the distribution of monomers within the dendrimer and near the surface can be tailored by changing various problem parameters. The results presented here are expected to be helpful in providing qualitative guidance for dendrimer design in various applications.     

Diffusiophoresis of a highly charged soft particle normal to a conducting plane

Diffusiophoresis of a soft particle in electrolyte solutions normal to a conducting solid plane is investigated theoretically in this study, focusing on the highly charged particle in particular. A pseudo-spectral method based on Chebyshev polynomial is adopted to solve the resultant governing electrokinetic equations. It was found, among other things, that the closer the soft particle is to the plane, the faster it moves in general, provided only the chemiphoresis component of the diffusiophoresis is involved, i.e., no diffusion potential is present. The presence of the conducting plane is found to have three effects upon the particle motion nearby: the geometric boundary confinement effect, the electrostatic mirror-image force analog effect, and the hydrodynamic retarding effect. The enhancement of the double layer polarization by the first two effects leads to the seeming intriguing observation mentioned above. The particle always moves away from the plane in chemiphoresis. If a diffusion potential is present, however, then it is possible to drive the particle toward the plane. The results have potential applications in drug delivery.     

Classical motion of a charged particle in the magnetic field of a rectilinear current

We investigate the classical dynamics of charged particles with spin 0 or spin 1/2 in the magnetic field of a rectilinear current filament. It is shown that the motion is confined in the direction perpendicular to the wire. For initial velocities not too great compared to a scaling velocity _scal , an analytic solution of the equations of motion is possible.     

Secondary effects in prompt charged particle activation analysis

The phenomenon of secondary excitation was observed during irradiation of thick targets of boron and gallium nitride with 2 MeV³He⁺ ions. This effect, though negligible during irradiation with protons or⁴He⁺ ions, becomes significant when highly exoergic reactions can occur.     

Quantum molecular dynamics

Electron or ion dynamics are treated using spin‐dependent quantum trajectories. These trajectories are inferred from the Dirac current, which contributes Schroedinger's current and additional spin‐dependent terms, all of which are of order c⁰ in the nonrelativistic regime of particle velocity, where c is the speed of light. The many‐body problem is treated precisely as in classical dynamics. Each electron or ion has its own equation of motion, which is the time‐dependent Dirac or the time‐dependent Schroedinger equation in the relativistic or nonrelativistic regime of particle velocity, respectively. As an example the theory is applied to the electronic structure of the helium atom, in which two electrons with opposite spin states are shown to correlate such that their quantum trajectories keep them on average on opposite sides of the nucleus. As the theory is time dependent, excited states are also generated. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2011