P. A. Neill

Experimental M1 Transition Rates of Coronal Lines from Ar X, Ar XIV, and Ar XV

Transition probabilities of three magnetic dipole (M1) transitions in multiply charged ions of Ar have been measured using the Livermore electron-beam ion trap. Two of the transitions are in the ground con—gurations of Ar XIV (B-like) and Ar IX (F-like), and are associated with the coronal lines at 4412.4 and 5533.4 respectively. The third is in the excited 2s2p con—guration of Be-like Ar XV and produces Ae , the coronal line at 5943.73 Our results for the three atomic level lifetimes are 9.32 ^ 0.12 ms for the Ae . Ar X 2s22p5 level, 9.70 ^ 0.15 ms for the Ar XIV 2s22p level, and 15.0 ^ 0.8 ms for the Ar XV 2P 1@2 2P 3@2 2s2p level. These results diUer signi—cantly from earlier measurements and are the most accurate 3P 2 ones to date. Subject headings: atomic datamethods: laboratory

Charge Exchange Spectra of Hydrogenic and He-like Iron

We present H-like Fe XXVI and He-like Fe XXV charge-exchange spectra resulting from collisions of highly charged iron with N2 gas at an energy of ~10 eV amu-1 in an electron beam ion trap. Although individual high-n emission lines are not resolved in our measurements, we observe that the most likely level for Fe+25 → Fe+24 electron capture is nmax ~ 9, in line with expectations, while the most likely value for Fe+26 → Fe+25 charge exchange is significantly higher. In the Fe XXV spectrum, the Kα emission feature dominates, whether produced via charge exchange or collisional excitation. The Kα centroid is lower in energy for the former case than for the latter (6666 vs. 6685 eV, respectively), as expected because of the strong enhancement of emission from the forbidden and intercombination lines, relative to the resonance line, in charge-exchange spectra. In contrast, the Fe XXVI high-n Lyman lines have a summed intensity greater than that of Lyα and are substantially stronger than predicted from theoretical calculations of charge exchange with atomic H. We conclude that the angular momentum distribution resulting from electron capture using a multielectron target gas is significantly different from that obtained with H, resulting in the observed high-n enhancement. A discussion is presented of the relevance of our results to studies of diffuse Fe emission in the Galactic center and Galactic ridge, particularly with Astro-E2/Suzaku.

On the Significance of the Contribution of Multiple-Electron Capture Processes to Cometary X-Ray Emission

We report laboratory studies of the role played by multiple-electron capture (MEC) in solar wind induced cometary X-ray emission. Collisions of Ne{sup 10+} with He, Ne, Ar, CO, and CO{sub 2} have been investigated by means of the traditional singles X-ray spectroscopy in addition to the triple-coincidence measurements of X-rays, scattered projectile, and target recoil ions for the atomic targets. The coincidence measurements enable the reduction of the singles X-ray spectra into partial spectra originating in single-electron capture (SEC) and MEC collisions. The measurements provide unequivocal evidence for a significant role played by MEC, and strongly suggest that models based solely on SEC are bound to yield erroneous conclusions on the solar wind composition and velocities and on cometary atmospheres. The experimental relative importance of MEC collisions is compared with molecular classical-over-the-barrier model (MCBM), classical trajectory Monte Carlo (CTMC), and multi-channel Landau-Zener (MCLZ), calculations which can qualitatively reproduce the experimental trends.

Photofragmentation of third-row hydrides following photoexcitation at deep-core levels

The relaxation dynamics of HCl, DCl, H2S, and D2S following photoexcitation in the vicinities of the Cl and S K-shell thresholds ( ;2.8 keV for Cl, ;2.5 keV for S! were studied by means of ion time-of-flight mass spectroscopy. In all cases, the onset of pre-edge core-shell photoionization precedes the formation on resonance of a significant amount of neutral hydrogen as well as postcollision-interaction effects above threshold. Examination of the width of the H 1 peak in spectra taken with the analyzer parallel and perpendicular to the polarization vector of the incident light indicates that on resonance, the photofragmentation asymmetry parameter, b, is approximately two for HCl, and is clearly positive for H2S. @S1050-2947~98!08211-0# PACS number~s!: 33.80.Gj, 33.80.Eh Time-of-flight mass spectroscopy and coincidence measurements of atoms and molecules are relatively wellunderstood techniques @1‐3#. Coupled with the high bright

Polarization of x-ray Li- and Be-like Fe satellite lines excited by an electron beam

We have calculated the polarization properties of dielectronic satellite lines in Li- and Be-like Fe ions excited through resonance electron capture by a monoenergetic electron beam. Following the density matrix formalism, we have computed the degree of polarization and the spectral intensity distribution of dielectronic satellites associated with a given polarization state. Theoretical results were compared with experiments performed at the Livermore Electron Beam Ion Trap where satellite line emission from Fe ions was simultaneously recorded with two crystal spectrometers. These results are relevant to diagnostic applications of x-ray line polarization spectroscopy in plasmas.

Overview of the Livermore electron beam ion trap project

The Livermore electron beam ion trap facility has recently been moved to a new location within LLNL, and new instrumentation was added, including a 32-pixel microcalorimeter. The move was accompanied by a shift of focus toward in situ measurements of highly charged ions, which continue with increased vigor. Overviews of the facility, which includes EBIT-I and SuperEBIT, and the research projects are given, including results from optical spectroscopy, QED, and X-ray line excitation measurements.

Development of M-shell x-ray spectroscopy and spectropolarimetry of z-pinch tungsten plasmas

The development of spectroscopic modeling of M-shell tungsten z-pinch plasma is presented. The spectral region from 3.5 to 6.5 A includes three distinct groups of transitions, and the best candidates for M-shell diagnostics are identified. Theoretical modeling is benchmarked with LLNL electron beam ion trap data produced at different energies of the electron beam and recorded by crystal spectrometers and a broadband microcalorimeter. A new high temperature plasma diagnostic tool, x-ray spectropolarimetry, is proposed to study polarization of W line emission and is illustrated using the results of x-pinch polarization-sensitive experiments. The x-ray line polarization of the prominent M-shell tungsten lines is calculated, and polarization markers are identified. The advantage of using x-pinch W wire experiments for the development of M-shell diagnostics is shown.

Multi-ion coincidence measurements of methyl chloride following photofragmentation near the chlorine K-edge

Relaxation dynamics of CH3Cl following core-shell photoexcitation in the neighbourhood of the chlorine K-edge ( 2.8 keV) were studied via multi-ion coincidence measurements using a time-of-flight mass spectrometer. The data provide evidence for sequential fragmentation moderated by Coulombic interactions among the fragments. The sequential nature of the fragmentation indicates that chemical forces, especially between the carbon and chlorine atoms, are dominant in determining the kinematics of the fragmentation. This is especially true on resonance where fast dissociation is observed following electron excitations to the 8a1 antibonding orbital.

CRITICAL TEST OF SIMULATIONS OF CHARGE-EXCHANGE-INDUCED X-RAY EMISSION IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM

Experimental and theoretical state-selective X-ray spectra resulting from single-electron capture in charge exchange (CX) collisions of Ne10+ with He, Ne, and Ar are presented for a collision velocity of 933 km s–1 (4.54 keV nucleon–1), comparable to the highest velocity components of the fast solar wind. The experimental spectra were obtained by detecting scattered projectiles, target recoil ions, and X-rays in coincidence; with simultaneous determination of the recoil ion momenta. Use and interpretation of these spectra are free from the complications of non-coincident total X-ray measurements that do not differentiate between the primary reaction channels. The spectra offer the opportunity to critically test the ability of CX theories to describe such interactions at the quantum orbital angular momentum level of the final projectile ion. To this end, new classical trajectory Monte Carlo calculations are compared here with the measurements. The current work demonstrates that modeling of cometary, heliospheric, planetary, and laboratory X-ray emission based on approximate state-selective CX models may result in erroneous conclusions and deductions of relevant parameters.

Polarization properties of dielectronic satellite lines in the K-shell x-ray spectra of B-like Fe XXII

We report the results of a combined theoretical and experimental study of B-like dielectronic recombination satellite lines excited by an electron beam. Polarization sensitive spectra were accumulated at the Lawrence Livermore electron beam ion trap facility. Three beam energies were chosen in the region of maximum B-like Fe satellite emission. At each energy, spectra were obtained using two LiF crystals of differing polarization sensitivities. Polarization-dependent spectra have been calculated using the degree of polarization of single lines computed with a photon density matrix formalism. The agreement between the experiment and theory is very good. Two spectral features were observed to have polarizations that were particularly sensitive to the electron beam energy. Spectral features with this property are candidates as diagnostics of energy and direction of electron beams in plasmas.