Photochemical processes in doped rare gas clusters studied with luminescence spectroscopic methods

Photochemical processes in Xe and NF3 doped rare gas clusters Rg(N) (Rg = Ar, Kr, Xe) are investigated with luminescence spectroscopy using photo-excitation with synchrotron radiation. Relaxation processes in Xe doped Ar-N clusters depend considerably on the location of the Xe atom in the cluster. Following excitation of surface sites desorption of electronically excited Xe atoms in the P-3(1) state is a dominant decay channel. Xe atoms in the interior of the cluster emit inside bubbles. The results are discussed in view of recent molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Electronically excited Rg(N) clusters doped with NF3 emit luminescence bands attributed to RgF* and Rg(2)F*. This result gives strong evidence for the first charge transfer reactions in clusters.