CLUSTER-CLUSTER COLLISIONS .3. POTENTIAL-ENERGY BETWEEN CLUSTERS

The intercluster potential for the systems Na8 + Na8, Na9 + Na9, Na19 + Na19 and Na20 + Na20 and the fragmentation potentials of Na40, Na58, Na68 and Na92 are calculated on the basis of density functional theory in the local density approximation and the jellium model. From the fragmentation potentials as a function of mass asymmetry a rich variety of final size distributions of the product in cluster-cluster collisions is predicted, originating from amplification and annihilation of shell closing effects. Shell effects are also found to dominate the intercluster potentials as a function of the intercluster distance. The proximity theorem is, however, found to be satisfied for metallic clusters.