Dimensional dependence of the structure of nitrogen and argon clusters formed in supersonic jets
Abstract
Electron diffraction studies have been carried out in clusters formed in supersonic jets of Ar and N2. It is shown that a dimensional phase transition of the crystal structure into a quasicrystalline (icosahedral) structure takes place in clusters containing less than 800 particles. The phase transition takes place in clusters of argon as well as nitrogen in which the interaction between particles is more complex than in inert gases. The effect of the mean size of Ar clusters on the mean-square amplitude ⟨u2⟩1/2 is studied, and the dependence of this quantity on the average number of atoms in a cluster is analyzed. Diagnostic characteristics of clusterized beams of investigated gases are obtained, and a good correlation with the theory of corresponding ” jets is demonstrated.