Precision bond lengths for Rydberg Matter clusters KN (N = 19, 37, 61 and 91) in excitation levels n = 4 - 8 from rotational radio-frequency emission spectra

Abstract

Clusters of the electronically excited condensed matter Rydberg Matter (RM) are planar and six-fold symmetric with magic numbers N = 7, 19, 37, 61 and 91. The bond distances in the clusters are known with a precision of +- 5% both from theory and Coulomb explosion experiments. Long series of up to 40 consecutive lines from rotational transitions in such clusters are now observed in emission in the radio-frequency range 7-90 MHz. The clusters are produced in five different vacuum chambers equipped with RM emitters. The most prominent series with B = 0.9292 +- 0.0001 MHz agrees accurately with expectation (within 2%) for the planar six-fold symmetric cluster K19 in excitation level n = 4. Other long series agree even better with K19 at n = 5 and 6. The ratio between the interatomic distance and the theoretical electron orbit radius (the dimensional ratio) for K19 in n = 4 is found to be 2.8470 +- 0.0003. For clusters K19 (n = 6) and K37 (n = 7 and 8) the dimensional ratio 2.90 is the highest value that is found, which happens to be exactly the theoretical value. Clusters K61 and K91 in n = 5 and 6 have slightly lower dimensional ratios. This is expected since the edge effects are smaller. Intensity alternations are observed of approximately 7:3. The nuclear spins interact strongly with the magnetic field from the orbiting electrons. Spin transitions are observed with energy differences corresponding accurately (within 0.6%) to transitions with apparent total (delta)F = -3 at excitation levels n = 5 and 6. The angular momentum coupling schemes in the clusters are complex but well understood.