Luminescence evidence for bulk and surface excitons in free xenon clusters

The cathodoluminescence spectra of free xenon clusters produced by condensation of xenon-argon gas mixtures in supersonic jets expanding into vacuum were studied. By varying the initial experimental parameters, including the xenon concentration, we could obtain clusters with a xenon core (300–3500 atoms) covered by an argon outer shell as well as shell-free xenon clusters (≈1500 atoms). The cluster size and temperature (≈40 K for both cases) were measured electronographically. Luminescence bands evidencing the existence of bulk and surface excitons were detected for shell-free xenon clusters. The emission from bulk excitons in small clusters is supposed to be due to processes of their multiple elastic reflections from the xenon-vacuum interface. The presence of an argon shell causes extinction of the excitonic bands. In addition, some bands were found which have no analogs for bulk xenon cryosamples.