On the manifestation of electronic structure effects in metal clusters

Abstract

Potasium (K_x xx, x+₈ and M⁺₂₀, where M is an alkali metal. This has been interpreted in terms of increased thermodynamic stability of the corresponding neutrals relative to neighboring clusters. We present data which show that a spherical jellium model, while providing a set of numbers correlating well with those of preferred stability in alkali clusters, is less successful in explaining other properties.