Optical response and shapes of charged sodium clusters; an analogue of the nuclear giant dipole response

Collective vibrations of de-localized electrons against the positive charged ionic background in sodium clusters (plasmon resonances) and the collective vibrations of protons against neutrons in nuclei (giant dipole resonances) have several features in common. However, fundamental differences exist due to differences in the two media; the nucleus is a quantum liquid whereas the metallic medium is more like a plasma with classical positive ions and quantized electrons. The similarities and differences are illustrated by results from optical response measurements for charged sodium clusters with 14 to 48 atoms.