Structure of nano-objects through polarizability and dipole measurements

The electric polarizability and the electric permanent dipole are important quantities for understanding the electronic properties of a cluster. Experimental techniques, the simulations necessary to interpret the experimental results, and a review of measurements on atomic and mixed clusters are presented. For atomic clusters, the polarizability is related to the type of bonding. In simple metal clusters such as alkali clusters, the results are well interpreted by the electron delocalization characteristic of the metallic bonding. In other metal clusters, the polarizability reflects the difficulty of establishing a clear and regular picture of the size evolution of electronic properties. The size evolution observed for covalent and semiconductor clusters is different from the evolution for metal clusters, and the influence of the geometry is preponderant, as demonstrated in the case of fullerenes. For mixed clusters, the measurements of the electric dipole allows one to deduce the charge transfers and the geometric arrangement. This is illustrated in the case of the metal-fullerene system and alkali halide clusters. To cite this article: M. Broyer et al., C. R. Physique 3 (2002) 301–317.