Computer Simulation of Coulomb Explosions in Doubly Charged Xe Microclusters

In recent experiments on doubly charged microclusters of Xe, no Xeₙ⁺⁺ clusters were observed for n less than 53 atoms. Computer simulations of microclusters have been carried out in which the Xe atoms interact via Lennard-Jones pair potentials and a point polarizability-dipole electrostatic model. From these simulations, it is inferred that Xe₅₁⁺⁺ clusters have lifetimes {~} 100 ps while Xe₅₅⁺⁺ clusters have lifetimes {~} 10 {μ}s in agreement with the experimental result that 55-atom clusters are much more stable.