Determination of electron density in a wall stabilized Ar-CO ${\mathsf{_2}}$ thermal plasma

The electron density is measured in an argon-CO₂ thermal plasma by optical emission spectroscopy. Electron density is deduced from the Stark broadening of the argon line and hydrogen (H ) line. Different theories are used and compared. The effect of CO₂ molecule upon this plasma is studied as a function of the Ar-CO₂ mixture composition and discharge current. The electron density is ranging from 3 x 10²¹ m^-3 to 5.6 x 10²² m^-3. The influence of the arc confinement is studied and the electron density gradients are evaluated. Departure from local thermal equilibrium is also discussed.Received: 5 September 2003, Published online: 21 October 2003PACS: 52.70.Kz Optical (ultraviolet, visible, infrared) measurements - 52.80.Mg Arcs; sparks; lightning; atmospheric electricity     

Microfield fluctuations and radiative transitions in laser-generated strongly coupled plasmas

Previously unaccessible plasma states of matter can be produced by irradiation with powerful lasers. The interactions within the plasma shift and distort the spectral lines corresponding to radiative transitions. The shape of the spectra is determined by two frequencies characterizing the fluctuations of the electric microfield in the plasma and the Stark splitting of the lines. Traditionally the fluctuations due to the motion of the ions are considered as sufficiently slow and weak to be treated in a linear quasi-static approximation, while the electrons are accounted for in an instantaneous impact approximation. Here also the intermediate regimes and strongly correlated ions are investigated. For that purpose the microfield fluctuations are calculated by molecular dynamics computer simulations. They are then used as input in a numerical solution of the time-dependent Schrödinger equation for the radiating electron. The shape of the Ly -line in H and in Al is investigated in the intermediate regime. The calculations are in agreement with recent experiments on the Ly and Ly lines in Al.Received: 7 January 2004, Published online: 15 April 2004PACS: 32.30.Rj X-ray spectra - 32.70.Jz Line shapes, widths, and shifts - 52.25.Os Emission, absorption, and scattering of electromagnetic radiation - 52.65.Yy Molecular dynamics methods     

Multiple ionization effects on L X-ray intensity ratios in Hf,Ta, Re,Ir, Pt,Au and Pb due to proton bombardment at energies 1-5 MeV

The L X-ray intensity ratios in the elements Hf, Ta, Re, Ir, Pt, Au and Pb due to proton bombardment at energies from 1 to 5 MeV are measured and compared with the ECPSSR theoretical intensity ratios. The L /L _l intensity ratios obtained in the present work are in good agreement with theoretical values while the L /L and L /L intensity ratios are consistently lower than the theoretical values. This deviation may be explained in terms of multiple ionization effects in M, N and O shells.Received: 27 March 2004, Published online: 6 July 2004PACS: 32.80.Hd Auger effect and inner-shell excitation or ionization - 32.30.Rj X-ray spectra - 41.75.-i Charged-particle beams - 41.75.Ak Positive-ion beams     

Stark broadening of hydrogen spectral lines with fine structure effects

Formalism and numerical code have been elaborated for calculation of hydrogen line profiles in conditions of plasma in which Stark broadening and fine energy splitting are comparable and it is not possible to neglect either of them. It corresponds to the range of electron densities . Lamb shift and spontaneous emission effects have also been included. Computer simulation method was applied in the calculations. Final results have been compared with experimental and theoretical findings by other authors.Received: 12 September 2003, Published online: 21 October 2003PACS: 32.70.Jz Line shapes, widths, and shifts - 52.20.-j Elementary processes in plasmas     

Modular construction of special mixed quantum states

For a homogeneous quantum network of N subsystems with n levels each we consider separable generalized Werner states. A generalized Werner state is defined as a mixture of the totally mixed state and an arbitrary pure state : with a mixture coefficient . For this density operator to be separable, will have an upper bound . Below this bound one should alternatively be able to reproduce by a mixture of entirely separable input-states. For this purpose we introduce a set of modules, each contributing elementary coherence properties with respect to a generalized coherence vector. Based on these there exists a general step-by-step mixing process for any . For being a cat-state it is possible to define an optimal process, which produces states right up to the separability boundary ( ).Received: 3 December 2002, Published online: 29 July 2003PACS: 03.65.Ud Entanglement and quantum nonlocality (e.g. EPR paradox, Bells inequalities, GHZ states, etc.) - 03.67.-a Quantum information - 03.65.-w Quantum mechanics     

Experimental assessment of temperature in plasma wall interaction

The purpose of this paper is to study the temperature evolution during the interaction of a plasma with an insulating wall in polyethylene ((CH₂) _n ) and polyoxymethylene ((CH₂O) _n ). The plasma is initiated by means of a capacitor bank discharge in a copper fuse wire. Due to the energy release the ablation of the insulating wall produces some insulating vapours in addition to the copper vapours corresponding to the wire vaporization. Using neutral copper line intensity ratio assuming a Bo ltzmann distribution we obtain a temperature evolution from 11 000 K to 24 000 K in the first few hundreds microseconds of the discharge. For later times the copper lines are strongly self-absorbed and make impossible the diagnostic in a spectroscopic way. Hence the temperature is deduced from the comparison between the experimental and calculated electrical conductivity. So for the decrease of the current the temperature evolves from 21 000 K down to 6 000 K and depends on the p lasma density. The results and the reliability of the two methods are discussed.Received: 25 July 2003, Published online: 14 October 2003PACS: 52.25.Kn Thermodynamics of plasmas - 52.70.Kz Optical (ultraviolet, visible, infrared) measurements - 52.80.Wq Discharge in liquids and solids     

Triple differential cross-sections of Ne (2s<Superscript>2</Superscript>) in coplanar to perpendicular plane geometry

The distorted wave Born approximation (DWBA) with the spin averaged static exchange potential has been used to calculate the triple differential cross-sections (TDCSs) for Ne (2s ²) ionization by electron impact in coplanar to perpendicular plane symmetric geometry at 110.5 eV incident electron energy. The present theoretical results at gun angles (coplanar symmetric geometry) and (perpendicular plane geometry) are in satisfactory agreement with the available experimental data. A deep interference minimum appears in the TDCS in the coplanar symmetric geometry and a strong peak at scattering angle caused by the single collision mechanism has been observed in the perpendicular plane geometry. The TDCSs at the gun angles , and are predicted.Received: 16 July 2002, Published online: 22 July 2003PACS: 34.80.Gs Molecular excitation and ionization by electron impact - 34.80.Dp Atomic excitation and ionization by electron impact     

Two-time synchronism and induced synchronization in a Kerr coupler

A pair of interacting Kerr oscillators treated as a master coupler sending chaotic or hyperchaotic signals to its slave copy is considered. We synchronize a with A and b with B through two communication channels and . The effect of synchronization is non-simultaneous, the pairs and have different times of synchronization. It is possible to synchronize an individual pair, for example, when its communication channel is turned off, provided that the second channel for the pair is turned on. The resulted synchronization is termed induced. The efficiencies of the presented synchronization precesses are studied.Received: 20 February 2003, Published online: 29 April 2003PACS: 05.45.Xt Synchronizations; coupled oscillators - 05.45.Pq Numerical simulations of chaotic systems - 42.65.Sf Dynamics of nonlinear optical systems; optical instabilities, optical chaos and complexity, and optical spatio-temporal dynamics     

On the Stark broadening of Sr+ and Ba+ resonance lines in ultracold neutral plasmas

We report results of the Stark broadening calculations for Sr⁺ and Ba⁺ resonance lines in ultracold plasmas using semiempirical formulas and numerical computer simulation technique. The simulation results show that strong collisions dominate Stark broadening at very low electron temperatures and weak collision approximation used recently by Vrinceanu et al. cannot be applied in this temperature region. Consequently, the temperature trend of Stark widths and shifts changes from successfully used at elevated temperatures to an increasing trend with temperature, which is characteristic for strong collisions at low temperature.     

Two-step laser optogalvanic spectroscopy of the odd-parity Rydberg states of atomic mercury

We present new experimental data on the highly excited levels in mercury using the two-step laser excitation and optogalvanic detection technique in conjunction with a RF discharge cell. The 6s7s ³S₁ intermediate level has been accessed from the 6s6p ³P₂ metastable level that is collisionally populated in the mercury discharge in the presence of a buffer gas at a pressure of about 1 Torr. Two beams fromtwo different dye lasers pumped with a common excimer laser were passed through the discharge cell containing mercury vapors. The first laser was tuned to 6s7s ³S₁ level whereas the second laser was scanned covering the wavelength region between 544-458 nm. We have observed the 6snp ³P₀ ( ), 6snp ( ), 6snp ( ) and 6snp ) Rydberg series. The 6snp Rydberg series to such high n-value has been reported for the first time. The first ionization potential of mercury is determined from the 6snp Rydberg series as 84184.15 0.05 cm^-1. Some collisionally induced parity forbidden transitions have also been located that are identified as 6sns ( ) series.Received: 5 November 2003, Published online: 20 January 2004PACS: 31.50.-x Potential energy surfaces - 32.30.Jc Visible and ultraviolet spectra - 32.80.Rm Multiphoton ionization and excitation to highly excited states (e.g., Rydberg states)     

Generation of high-current electron beams by a hollow cathode with a ferroelectric plasma source

This paper presents results and analysis of an experimental investigation of the operation of a hollow cathode (HC) with an incorporated ferroelectric plasma source (FPS). It was shown that the use of FPS based on a BaTi solid solution allows one to ignite and to sustain a 10²-10³ A HC discharge with duration of 10^-3-10^-5 s at background pressure of 5 x 10^-3 Pa while keeping the HC design with small dimensions. It was found that the development of the HC discharge is accompanied by formation at the surface of the FPS of dense plasma which serves as a powerful (hundreds of kW) pulsed source of current carrying electrons. Parameters of the HC plasma (radial distribution of the plasma density and temperature and plasma potential) for different discharge current amplitudes and two types of FPS are presented. Application of the FPS as an electron source in a diode under an accelerating pulse 300 kV and pulse duration 400 ns showed that the latter operates in a plasma pre-filled mode with a current amplitude up to 1.6 kA. Parameters of the diode and electron beam for different experimental conditions are presented and discussed.Received: 10 April 2003, Published online: 12 August 2003PACS: 52.50.Dg Plasma sources - 29.25.Bx Electron sources - 52.25.Tx Emission, absorption, and scattering of particles     

Molecular beam electric resonance without A- and B-fields

We report on a novel phenomenon observed during the passage of a pulsed NO beam seeded in He through a combined homogeneous, static electric and RF field, denoted as C-field in a standard molecular beam electric resonance (MBER) experiment. Although we refrain from the state selective A- and B-fields, which are considered crucial for a MBER experiment, the transmitted intensity exhibits as a function of the RF frequency conspicuous dips at resonance frequencies that depend strictly linearly on the static field strength E ₀. Their spectral width is by a factor of 4 smaller than the time of flight broadening. Both, the resonance frequencies and their linear field dependence can be precisely predicted applying a simple expression for the Stark effect to a transition of a single rotational state (J = 3/2) of the electronic ground state . However, this formula is valid only in the high field limit (E ₀ > 1000 kV/m) while the employed field (E ₀ = 1.47 kV/m) was in the extreme low field domain where the large type doubling and hyperfine coupling lead to a purely quadratic Stark effect. We assume that the phenomenon is due to a yet unknown collective rather than to an isolated particle process.Received: 9 May 2003, Published online: 12 August 2003PACS: 33.20.Bx Radio-frequency and microwave spectra - 32.60. + i Zeeman and Stark effects Author for correspondence: A. González Ureña     

Lepton flavor violating <Emphasis Type="Italic">Z</Emphasis>-decays in supersymmetric seesaw model

In the supersymmetric seesaw model, large flavor mixings of sleptons induce the lepton flavor violating (LFV) interactions ( ), which give rise to various LFV processes. In this work we examine the LFV decays . Subject to the constraints from the existing neutrino oscillation data and the experimental bounds on the decays , these LFV Z-decays are found to be sizable, and among them the largest-rate channel can occur with a branching ratio of 10^-8 and may be accessible at the LHC or GigaZ experiment.Received: 1 September 2003, Published online: 20 November 2003     

Optical manipulation of long-range interactions at the 3s + 3p asymptote of $\mathsf{Na_2}$

We investigate the influence of a laser field, which is near-resonant to the atomic sodium 3²P_1/2 3²D_3/2 transition, on the last bound levels of the A state in Na₂. In a molecular beam experiment level shifts up to 100 MHz and light induced line broadenings were observed using an optical double resonance excitation scheme. Moreover, the coupling laser can reduce the number of bound levels of the A state by one or more units, which effectively means that in the picture of a collision of a 3²S_1/2 and a 3²P_1/2-atom the scattering phase is altered by more than . The observed effects are interpreted as light induced couplings of the A state, which correlates to the 3s _1/2 + 3p _1/2 asymptote, to the and states at the 3s _1/2 + 3d _3/2 asymptote. We performed multi-channel calculations, applying the mapped Fourier grid method, which reproduce our experimentally observed level shifts well.Received: 7 October 2003, Published online: 21 November 2003PACS:   34.50.Rk Laser-modified scattering and reactions - 33.80.-b Photon interactions with molecules - 42.62.Fi Laser spectroscopy     

Perturbation theory for the two-dimensional abelian Higgs modelin the unitary gauge

In the unitary gauge the unphysical degrees of freedom of spontaneously broken gauge theories are eliminated. The Feynman rules are simpler than in other gauges, but it is non-renormalizable by the rules of power counting. On the other hand, it is formally equal to the limit of the renormalizable R -gauge. We consider perturbation theory to one-loop order in the R -gauge and in the unitary gauge for the case of the two-dimensional abelian Higgs model. An apparent conflict between the unitary gauge and the limit of the R -gauge is resolved, and it is demonstrated that results for physical quantities can be obtained in the unitary gauge.Received: 17 July 2003, Revised: 8 August 2003, Published online: 20 November 2003E.E. Scholz: Present address: DESY, Notkestr. 85, 22603 Hamburg, Germany     

Hyperfine quenching of the 4s4p <Superscript>3</Superscript>P<Subscript>0</Subscript> level in Zn-like ions

In this paper, we used the multiconfiguration Dirac-Fock method to compute with high precision the influence of the hyperfine interaction on the [Ar] P₀ level lifetime in Zn-like ions for stable and some quasi-stable isotopes of nonzero nuclear spin between Z=30 and Z=92. The influence of this interaction on the [Ar] P P₀ separation energy is also calculated for the same ions.     

Metastable level lifetimes from electron-shelving measurements with ion clouds and single ions

The lifetime of the -level in singly-ionized calcium has been measured by the electron-shelving technique on different samples of rf trapped ions. The metastable state has been directly populated by exciting the dipole-forbidden transition. In ion clouds, the natural lifetime of this metastable level has been measured to be ( ) ms. For the single-ion case, we determined a lifetime of ( ) ms. The -error bars at the 2%-level have different origins for the two kinds of experiments: data fitting methods for lifetime measurements in an ion cloud and control of experimental parameters for a single ion. De-shelving effects are extensively discussed. The influence of differing approaches for the processing of the single-ion quantum jump data on the lifetime values is shown. Comparison with recent measurements shows excellent agreement when evaluated from a given method.Received: 14 November 2003, Published online: 24 February 2004PACS: 32.70.Cs Oscillator strengths, lifetimes, transition moments - 32.80.Pj Optical cooling of atoms, trapping     

Stark spectroscopy of high-lying odd parity levels in atomic samarium

We have performed a series of experiments to observe 11 Stark-induced E1 transitions from the 15650.55 cm^-1 level to higher levels with odd parity in samarium (Sm) with optical double-resonance technique. Five Stark-induced E1 transition to the 28233.08, 28613.22, 28913.97, 29041.31 and 29130.03 cm^-1 levels have been observed. In order to investigate the contributors to the Stark-induced E1 transition, we have measured scalar and tensor polarizabilities for the observed Stark-induced E1 transitions. Clear Stark splittings were observed for the levels 28233.08 and 28613.22 cm^-1, and their tensor polarizabilities were determined for each isotope. Scalar polarizabilities were determined for the 28233.08, 28613.22, 28913.97 and 29130.03 cm^-1 levels for the first time. Among them, scalar polarizability for the 28233.08 cm^-1 level was the largest in magnitude and was 3.60(10) x 10³ kHz/(kV/cm)² for Sm. We noticed that both scalar and tensor polarizabilities of the 28233.08 cm^-1 level depend on the isotope; the difference of magnitude of the scalar and tensor polarizabilities between Sm and Sm were remarkably large and were about 10 and 6 percent, respectively.Received: 10 February 2003, Published online: 30 July 2003PACS: 32.60.+i Zeeman and Stark effects - 32.10.Dk Electric and magnetic moments, polarizabilityD. Angom: Present address: Physical Research Laboratory, Navarangpura, Ahmedabad 380 009, India.     

Ionization of the hydrogen atom: from weak to strong static electric fields

A quantum dynamical treatment of the S-G effect, to the leading order in for the electron, where is the fine-structure constant, and for spin 1/2 charged particles (e.g., the proton), in general, leads to a unitary expression for the probability density on the observation screen, where the magnetic field has a controllable longitudinal uniform component along the initial average direction of propagation of the particle, in addition to a non-uniform, almost longitudinal, magnetic field lying in the plane defined by the quantization axis, in question, of the spin and the initial average direction of propagation.Received: 3 April 2003, Published online: 22 July 2003PACS: 03.65.-w Quantum mechanics - 03.65.Nk Scattering theory - 24.70.+s Polarization phenomena in reactions     

Studies of ion energy and yield from argon clusters heated by intense femtosecond laser pulses

Using time-of-flight spectrometry, the interaction of intense femtosecond laser pulses with argon clusters has been studied by measuring the energy and yield of emitted ions. With two different supersonic nozzles, the dependence of average ion energy on cluster size in a large range of has been measured. The experimental results indicate that when the cluster size , the average ion energy Coulomb explosion is the dominant expansion mechanism. Beyond this size, the average ion energy gets saturated gradually, the clusters exhibit a mixed Coulomb-hydrodynamic expansion behavior. We also find that with the increasing gas backing pressure, there is a maximum ion yield, the ion yield decreases as the gas backing pressure is further increased.