title: Ions colliding with cold polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon clusters.
abstract: We report the first experimental study of ions interacting with clusters of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) molecules. Collisions between 11.25 keV 3He+ or 360 keV 129Xe20+ and weakly bound clusters of one of the smallest PAH molecules, anthracene, show that C14H10 clusters have much higher tendencies to fragment in ion collisions than other weakly bound clusters. The ionization is dominated by peripheral collisions in which the clusters, very surprisingly, are more strongly heated by Xe20+ collisions than by He+ collisions. The appearance size is k=15 for [C ₁₄H₁₀](k)2+.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Stockholm University, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: A I S
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Holm
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zettergren
authors.forename: H A B
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Johansson
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Seitz
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rosén
authors.forename: H T
authors.initials: HT
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lawicki
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rangama
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rousseau
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Capron
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Maisonny
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Adoui
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Méry
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Manil
authors.forename: B A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Huber
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Cederquist