10min:

S. DEVDAS, C. M. L. RITTBY AND W. R. M. GRAHAM, Department of Physics and Astronomy, TCU, Fort Worth, TX 76129.

The structures and vibrational fundamentals of Ge_n clusters trapped in solid Ar are under investigation using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Ge_n^- anions (n=2 - 15) were studied earlier by Neumark et al.^a, using anion photoelectron spectroscopy and zero electron kinetic energy spectroscopy. Tentative assignments were made for a fundamental vibration of each of Ge₃ and Ge₄, although vibrational structure was unresolved for larger clusters. We present vibrational spectra obtained for Ge_n species produced by laser ablation of pure germanium followed by trapping in an Ar matrix and compare the experimental observations with the predictions of density functional theory calculations.

^aG. R. Burton, C. Xu, C. Arnold, and D. Neumark, J. Chem. Phys. 104, 2757 (1996).