Mg and Na clusters in a helium matrix

Abstract We have studied the adsorption properties of liquid ⁴He on small Mg and Na clusters. The calculation requires three components: a calculation of the cluster structure, a path-integral Monte Carlo calculation of the structure of the surrounding helium, and the determination of the cluster-helium interaction. The two types of clusters are examples for two physically very different situations: small Mg clusters are insulating and their interaction with the surrounding helium is relatively strong. We find for all cases considered here that these clusters are submersed in the helium droplet and reside basically at its center. Na clusters, on the other hand, are conducting down to very small particle numbers. More important, however, is the fact that the Na-He interaction is much weaker than the He-He attraction which causes small Na clusters to reside at the cluster surface. Graphical abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.]