Quantum-Size Dependence of the Energy for Vacancy Formation in Charged Small Metal Clusters. Drop Model

Abstract

Self-consistent computations of the monovacancy formation energy are performed for Na_N, Mg_N, and Al_N (12 < N ≤ 168) spherical clusters in the drop model for stable jelly. Scenarios of the Schottky vacancy formation and “bubble vacancy blowing” are considered. It is shown that the asymptotic behavior of the size dependences of the energy for the vacancy formation by these two mechanisms is different and the difference between the characteristics of a charged and neutral cluster is entirely determined by the difference between the ionization potentials of clusters and the energies of electron attachment to them.