Interatomic response to core ionization of atomic clusters

Fourth-order Green function calculations on very many core-ionized states of Mg-n clusters (n = 2,3,4) are reported. Among several interesting features the results reveal unusually strong low-lying satellites in the core ionization spectra of the clusters. These are absent in the respective atomic spectra and not observed in the spectra of typical molecules. A thorough analysis attributes these satellites to distinct interatomic processes. These processes comprise charge and energy transfer from one atom to neighboring atoms. Other cluster systems are briefly addressed. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.