Research Projects

The present proposal aims to acquire rigorous understanding of the photoionization dynamics of atomic metal clusters, such as alkali metal clusters, and their endofullerenes both in the plasmonic and non-plasmonic energy regions. A jellium-based “time dependent local density approximation (TDLDA)” will be employed to study the features arising from the electron-electron correlation. The features such as plasmonic resonances, Fano-type resonances, and geometry induced structures in the spectra will be scrutinized to gain information about the ionization dynamics of these systems. These studies will be further extended to the time domain by calculating the Wigner-Smith time delay associated with the photoemission. Further, the effect of trapping these metal clusters in the cavities of different types of fullerenes will be explored. The interference of degenerate ionization paths from the fullerene and the cluster inside, including the effects of the fullerene plasmon resonances, will make the ionization and time delay spectra of such endohedral systems very rich and robust. An initiative to develop models to study the photoresponse of noble metal clusters will also be undertaken. The major objectives of this proposals are oriented towards developing the comprehensive understanding of the photoionization dynamics of such systems. These studies provides valuable impetus to the field of attosecond science and nano-sciences. It is important to note that such rigorous understanding play vital role in developing a good handle on controlling the properties of atomic clusters and designing such nano-systems with desired properties. A significant effort to build collaborations with leading research groups across the globe will be actively pursued and we hope that the present theoretical studies motivate experimental investigations in these exciting research directions.

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