The photoelectron spectrum of Xe3 by the photoelectron–photoion coincidence technique

Abstract
The technique of photoelectron–photoion coincidence spectroscopy is used to obtain the photoelectron spectrum of the Xe3 trimer in the energy region of the first ionization potential. The results show that the first vertical ionization potential of Xe3 is 11.47(9) eV versus 11.85 eV in Xe2. This experiment demonstrates for the first time the feasibility of obtaining a photoelectron spectrum of a cluster contained in a mixture of n‐mers. This measurement yields insight into the electronic structure changes occurring as free atoms combine to form solids and will provide additional information as the studies are extended to higher n‐mers.