Plasmon profiles and deformations of sodium clusters in the 1g-shell

Absolute photoabsorption cross sections have been measured for free, singly ionized sodium clusters in the size range of 48 to 60 atoms. The measurements cover the wavelength interval from 390 to 590 nm (3.2-2.1 eV) in 14 steps. As in a previous series of measurements on smaller clusters, the spectra are dominated by a surface plasma oscillation of the valence electrons, that exhausts 70–80% of the dipole sum rule. The previously observed double structure of the resonance peak is not found, and therefore the interpretation of the profiles in terms of spheroidal deformations becomes more complicated. In this situation we compare the spectra with new calculations of the optical response of deformed clusters by Hirschmann. The calculations, which are made in a local representation of the Random Phase Approximation, agree well with the measured photoabsorption spectra.