FORMATION OF BULK METAL FROM A CLUSTER IN A STATISTICAL-MODEL

Using the Thomas-Fermi model, we investigate the properties of agglome ration of atoms and explore the physics of the transition from atom -- > molecule --> cluster --> bulk metal Using spherical jellium modellin g, we obtain the electrostatic potential for the neutral metal cluster s. From the form of the electrostatic potential, we get an important p arameter d, which is an index of the transition from small clusters to bulk solids. By numerical calculation, we discover that the value of d is evidently dependent on N(b) (the number of atoms consisting of cl usters). When N(b) is large enough, d tends to zero, and the potential inside the cluster will tend to a constant. Classically, this is the solution of the potential in which the metal cluster has already becom e a bulk solid. Our calculation shows that the formation of bulk metal from a cluster is smooth and coherent in this Thomas-Fermi model inve stigation.