‘Soft landing’ of size-selected clusters in chemically inert substrates

Abstract

Mass-selected cluster deposition in inert rare-gas substrates is reviewed. The problem of soft landing, that is deposition without fragmentation, is briefly addressed. Matrix isolation spectroscopy on monodispersed cluster samples is discussed as a powerful alternative to gas-phase experiments. Photoabsorption of Ag _n is interpreted in the shell model approach developed in the group of Walter Knight.