Clusters, condensed matter in embryonic form

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Abstract
Clusters are aggregates of atoms or molecules in the form of microscopic and submicroscopic particles. They are of practical interest in many diflerent contexts. At the same time they represent an inroad to the understanding of condensed matter in bulk, much as embryology is important for the understanding of full-grown organisms. But just as embryonic development illuminates biological laws in peculiar and often unique ways, so recent research on clusters has uncovered a number of laws that are speciJic to submicroscopic particles. As a particularly striking example, one jinds that the conduction electrons in a small drop of sodium, or some other simple metal, form an ordered quantum state in analogy with the ordered electron structure in atoms. As a consequence, small metal clusters form a periodic system like the system of chemical elements—only much larger.