Enlarged Molecules from Excited Atoms in Nanochannels

TL;DR

This paper investigates how excited atoms interact within nanochannels made of silica, zinc oxide, and gold, revealing unique interaction patterns and the formation of enlarged molecules influenced by channel size.

Contribution

It introduces a detailed analysis of resonance interactions in nanochannels, showing how confinement alters atomic interactions and leads to the formation of size-dependent enlarged molecules.

Findings

Short range repulsion followed by long range attraction in nanochannels

Maximum binding energy near surfaces of the channels

Enlarged molecule size increases with channel width

Abstract

The resonance interaction that takes place in planar nanochannels between pairs of excited state atoms is explored. We consider interactions in channels of silica, zinc oxide and gold. The nanosized channels induce a dramatically different interaction from that in free space. Illustrative calculations for two lithium and cesium atoms, demonstrate that there is a short range repulsion followed by long range attraction. The binding energy is strongest near the surfaces. The size of the enlarged molecule is biggest at the center of the cavity and increases with channel width. Since the interaction is generic, we predict that enlarged molecules are formed in porous structures, and that the molecule size depends on the size of the nanochannels