Production and properties of singly, doubly, and triply charged N2 clusters

Clusters of N2 molecules formed in a supersonic nozzle expansion have been studied by electron impact ionization mass spectrometry. Mass resolved spectra (with n up to 190) show three homologous series, i.e., consisting of (N2)+n, (N2)nN+, and [(N2)n N]2+ ions. The distribution of (N2)+n ions shows distinct magic number effects. Moreover, there is evidence for the existence of (N2)2+n and (N2)3+n ions. The critical appearance sizes of observed multiply charged cluster ions are (N2)2+99, (N2)99N2+, and (N2)3+215. These results are compared with theoretical predictions. Moreover, a study of the electron energy dependence of singly and doubly charged N2 cluster ions close to threshold (appearance energies) gives new insight into the ionization mechanism.