Phase transitions in finite system

Collisions with atomic clusters represent a relatively new branch of collision physics as compared to the well established fields of ion-atom collisions [1] and ion-solid interaction [2]. The study of cluster collisions is of particular interest and importance because it offers the possibility, to tackle bridge-building questions (like the transition from individual excitations in the elementary ion-atom collision to the macroscopic stopping power in solids) as well as fundamental problems (like phase transitions in finite systems). 

The single ground state AIMD-GDF dynamics is a useful tool to study the influence of the temperature on the structural properties of small metallic clusters allowing to find mechanisms of isomerization processes as well as to formulate precise criteria for phase transitions in finite systems... 

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