Molecular dynamics simulation of fast ion impact on cluster atoms

Fragmentation and ion scattering in a fast ion impact on cluster atoms were researched with molecular dynamics simulation methods. The atom evaporation was caused after the incident particle was impacted into the cluster. It has been found from simulation results that the fragmentation distributions have not a large dependence on the energy of the incident particle in the range of 1∼1000 keV and also the yield of fragments is approximately proportional to m^-2.6 in mass size m. An ion beam experiment was also performed to investigate the fragmentation caused by interaction between a fast ion and cluster atoms. A large cluster for Ar, Xe, H₂ was detected by the Rayleigh scattering. The responses for a fast ion impact on the large cluster atoms were measured with the experiment system. The interaction rate was estimated to be ∼0.1 event per one pulsed operation of the cluster source and was approximately consistent with experimental results.