Negative heat capacity for a cluster of 147 sodium atoms

Phys Rev Lett. 2001 Feb 12;86(7):1191-4. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.86.1191.

Abstract

There exists a surprising theoretical prediction for a small system: its microcanonical heat capacity can become negative. An increase of energy can-under certain conditions-lead to a lower temperature. Here we present experimental evidence that a cluster containing exactly 147 sodium atoms does indeed have a negative microcanonical heat capacity near its solid to liquid transition.