Cluster (physics)
This article needs additional citations for verification. (May 2023) |
In physics, the term clusters denotes small, polyatomic particles. As a rule of thumb, any particle made of between 3×100 and 3×107 atoms is considered a cluster.
The term can also refer to the organization of protons and neutrons within an atomic nucleus, e.g. the alpha particle (also known as "α-cluster"[1]), consisting of two protons and two neutrons (as in a helium nucleus).
Overview
Although first reports of cluster species date back to the 1940s,[2] cluster science emerged as a separate direction of research in the 1980s, One purpose of the research was to study the gradual development of collective phenomena which characterize a bulk solid. For example, these are the color of a body, its electrical conductivity, its ability to absorb or reflect light, and magnetic phenomena such as ferro-, ferri-, or antiferromagnetism. These are typical collective phenomena which only develop in an aggregate of a large number of atoms.
It was found that collective phenomena break down for very small cluster sizes. It turned out, for example, that small clusters of a
This development led to the discovery of
In science, a lot is known about properties of the
The study of atomic and molecular clusters also benefits the developing field of
See also
- Cluster chemistry
- Nanoparticle
- Nanocluster
References
External links
- Scientific community portal for clusters, fullerenes, nanotubes, nanostructures, and similar small systems.