Single and double photoionization of Be and Mg

A new version of the time-dependent close-coupling method is used to calculate the single and double photoionization of the Be and Mg atoms. Total cross sections are calculated using an implicit time propagator with a core orthogonalization method on a variable radial mesh. The double to single photoionization cross section ratios are found to be in good agreement with experiment for both Be and Mg.

Electron-impact ionization of C+ in both ground and metastable states

Electron-impact ionization cross sections are calculated for the ground and metastable states of C+. Com- parisons between perturbative distorted-wave and nonperturbative time-dependent close-coupling calculations find reductions in the peak direct ionization cross sections due to electron coupling effects of approximately 5% for ground state C+ and approximately 15% for metastable state C+. Fairly small excitation-autoionization contributions are found for ground state C+, while larger excitation-autoionization contributions are found for metastable state C+. Comparisons between perturbative distorted-wave and nonperturbative R-matrix with pseudostates calculations find reductions in the peak total ionization cross sections due to electron coupling effects of approximately 15–20 % for ground state C+ and approximately 25–35 % for metastable state C+. Finally, comparisons between theory and experiment find that present and previous C+ crossed-beam measure- ments are in excellent agreement with ground state nonperturbative R-matrix with pseudostates calculations for total ionization cross sections. Combined with previous non-perturbative calculations for C, C2+, and C3+, accurate ionization cross sections and rate coefficients are now available for the ground and metastable states of all carbon ion stages.

Single-photon single ionization of W+ ions: experiment and theory

Experimental and theoretical results are reported for photoionization of Ta-like (W+) tungsten ions. Absolute cross sections were measured in the energy range 16–245 eV employing the photon–ion merged-beam setup at the advanced light source in Berkeley. Detailed photon-energy scans at 100 meV bandwidth were performed in the 16–108 eV range. In addition, the cross section was scanned at 50 meV resolution in regions where fine resonance structures could be observed. Theoretical results were obtained from a Dirac–Coulomb R-matrix approach. Photoionization cross section calculations were performed for singly ionized atomic tungsten ions in their 5s²5p⁶5d⁴(⁵D)6s ⁶Dj.  J = 1/2, ground level and the associated excited metastable levels with J = 3/2, 5/2, 7/2 and 9/2. Since the ion beams used in the experiments must be expected to contain long-lived excited states also from excited configurations, additional cross-section calculations were performed for the second-lowest term, 5d⁵⁶Sj, J = 5/2, and for the 4F term, 5d³6s^{2 4}Fj, with J = 3/2, 5/2, 7/2 and 9/2. Given the complexity of the electronic structure of W+ the calculations reproduce the main features of the experimental cross section quite well.

High-resolution photoionization of Xe + ions: Experiment and theory

High-resolution photoionization measurements of Xe + ions have been performed at the Advanced Light Source in Berkeley, California, USA. The experimental cross sections are compared with results from Dirac-Coulomb R-matrix calculations.

Valence and L-shell photoionization of Cl-like argon using R-matrix techniques

Photoionization cross-sections are obtained using the relativistic DiracAtomic R-matrix Codes (DARC) for all valence and L-shell energy ranges between 27 and 270 eV. A total of 557 levels arising from the dominant configurations 3s²3p⁴, 3s³p5, 3p⁶, 3s²3p³[3d, 4s, 4p], 3p⁵3d, 3s²3p²3d², 3s³p4³d, 3s³p3³d2 and 2s²2p⁵3s²3p⁵ have been included in the targetwavefunction representation of the Ar III ion, including up to 4p in the orbital basis. We also performed a smaller Breit-Pauli (BP) calculation containing the lowest 124 levels. Direct comparisons are made with previous theoretical and experimental work for both valence shell and L-shell photoionization. Excellent agreement was found for transitions involving the ²P^o initial state to all allowed final states for both calculations across a range of photon energies. A number of resonant states have been identified to help analyse and explain the nature of the spectra at photon energies between 250 and 270 eV.

Photoionization of Cl-like Argon using the Breit-Pauli R-matrix method

Here we present the photoionization cross sections for the ground and metastable states of Cl-like Argon by exploiting the fully relativistic Breit-Pauli R-matrix computer codes to determine these transitions of interest. We compare our work with previous theoretical and experimental results and present a detailed investigation into the model of Ar III, the resonant structure and identification process.

Electron-impact excitation of open d-shell ions

Astrophysics is driven by observations, and in the present era there are a wealth of state-of-the-art ground-based and satellite facilities. The astrophysical spectra emerging from these are of exceptional quality and quantity and cover a broad wavelength range. To meaningfully interpret these spectra, astronomers employ highly complex modelling codes to simulate the astrophysical observations. Important input to these codes include atomic data such as excitation rates, photoionization cross sections, oscillator strengths, transition probabilities and energy levels/line wavelengths. Due to the relatively low temperatures associated with many astrophysical plasmas, the accurate determination of electron-impact excitation rates in the low energy region is essential in generating a reliable spectral synthesis. Hence it is these atomic data, and the main computational methods used to evaluate them, which we focus on in this publication. We consider in particular the complicated open d- shell structures of the Fe-peak ions in low ionization stages. While some of these data can be obtained experimentally, they are usually of insufficient accuracy or limited to a small number of transitions.

Inner-shell photodetachment of excited 4S° and 6S° metastable bound states of Be-

The total cross sections for photodetachment of the metastable 1s ²2p^{3 4}S° and 1s2s2p^{3 6}S° excited bound states of the negative ion of beryllium are presented for a range of initial photon energies across and beyond the 1s detachment threshold. A multichannel close-coupling R-matrix approximation is used to compute the cross sections, with sophisticated configuration-interaction wavefunctions being used to represent the initial and final states. At present there are no other theoretical or experimental data available with which to compare the cross sections for these two photodetachment processes.

Effective collision strengths for election impact excitation of Cl III

Effective collision strengths for electron-impact excitation of the phosphorus-like ion Cl III are presented for all fine-structure transitions among the levels arising from the lowest 23 LS states. The collisional cross sections are computed in the multichannel close-coupling R-matrix approximation, where sophisticated configuration-interaction wave functions are used to represent the target states. The 23 LS states are formed from the basis configurations 3s²3p³, 3s3p⁴, 3s²3p²3d, and 3s²3p²4s, and correspond to 49 fine-structure levels, leading to a total possible 1176 fine-structure transitions. The effective collision strengths, obtained by averaging the electron collision strengths over a Maxwellian distribution of electron velocities, are tabulated in this paper for all 1176 transitions and for electron temperatures in the ranges T(K)=7500-25,000 and log T(K)=4.4-5.4. The former range encompasses the temperatures of particular importance for application to gaseous nebulae, while the latter range is more applicable to the study of solar and laboratory-type plasmas. © 2001 Academic Press.