Distorted wave cross sections for electron-impact ionization of the lithium-like ions

Electron-impact ionization cross sections for lithium-like ions have been computed in three variants of the distorted wave approximation. It is found that the inclusion of the electron exchange in the standard form yields the best results, in very good agreement with the experiment and the elaborate calculations of Jakubowicz and Moores.     

Geometrical model approximation for ionization cross sections of atoms and ions in ion-atom collisions

The applicability of the geometrical model (GM) proposed in [14, 15] to calculate the ionization probability and cross section of atoms and ions during collisions with ions, including structural ions, was studied at high velocities of partners. The GM represents a version of the classical impulse approximation. It was shown that the GM in all cases under consideration allows estimation of the ionization probability and total corss section of an atom or an ion during collisions with ions with deviations of no more than 50% from the results of the classical Monte Carlo method. GM calculations are rather simple in computation respect and limit the ionization probability by unity at arbitrary impact parameters.     

Proton and α-particle impactM-shell ionization of atoms in binary encounter approximation

M-shell ionization cross sections for atoms due to the impact of proton and α-particles have been calculated in the binary encounter approximation. The effects of Coulomb deflection of the incident projectile and increase in binding of the target electron have been investigated. Roothan-Hartree-Fock velocity distribution for the target electrons has been used in the present work. The calculated cross-sections have been compared with experimental results and other theoretical calculations wherever available. The present calculations give a good account of experimental observations.     

Ratio of single K-shell ionization cross section to double K-shell ionization cross section in heavy-ion-atom collisions

The spectra of Ti Kα X-rays induced by He, C, N and O ions were measured with the use of a Bragg crystal spectrometer. The ratios of the integrated hypersatellite to diagram-plus-satellite X-ray yields were obtained. The previously obtained data on Cr, Fe and Ni Kα X rays induced by N ions were also analysed. It is found that the double K-shell vacancy production cross section is proportional to Z⁴₁.     

Asymptotics of the cross section for the electron loss by atoms and ions in light media

The dependence of the cross section of electron loss on the nuclear charge Z of a bombarding ion and on the nuclear charge Z _t of a target atom for fast collisions is studied theoretically using the plane-wave Born approximation and the sum rule. The results of calculations show that the cross section of electron loss for fast collisions increases monotonically as Z and Z _t increase, which can be used to interpolate cross sections for the processes for which there are no experimental data.     

Relativistic calculations of electron-impact ionization for highly charged hydrogen-like ions

Electron-impact ionization cross-sections and rate coefficients of the 1s ground state for H-like C, O, Mg, Ar, Fe, Cu, As, Kr, Y, Mo ions with incident electron energies up to 15 times the ionization threshold energy have been systematically calculated by the relativistic distorted-wave Born exchange (DWBE) approximation. The comparison of the result with the experimental data, other theoretical calculations and recommended values shows the very good agreement. The influence from relativistic and the lowest order QED effect in the calculation is discussed. The calculated ionization cross-sections are fitted by empirical formulas. These fits can be readily integrated over a relativistic Maxwellian electron distribution function to obtain rate coefficient for plasma modeling.     

Modern methods for calculating photoionization and electron-impact ionization of two-electron atoms and molecules

A number of recently developed methods for calculating multifold differential cross sections for photoionization and electron impact ionization of atoms and molecules with two active electrons are reviewed. The methods are based on unique approaches to the calculation of three-body Coulomb wave functions. The exterior scaling method and the driven Schrödinger equation formalism are considered. The effectiveness of the time-dependent approaches to the scattering problem, such as the paraxial approximation and the time-dependent scaling, is demonstrated. A novel numerical method is formulated, which has been developed by the authors to solve the six-dimensional Schrödinger equation for an atom with two active electrons on the basis of the Chang-Fano transformation and the discrete variable representation. The threshold behavior manifested by the angular distributions of the two-electron photoionization of a negative hydrogen ion and a helium atom and the multifold differential cross sections for the electronimpact ionization of hydrogen and nitrogen molecules are analyzed on the basis of numerical simulations. The Wannier law for the angular distribution of double ionization is demonstrated to be incorrect even at very low energies.     

Perturbative calculation of the cross section in double ionization by high-energy Compton scattering

In this paper we investigate double ionization in high-energy Compton scattering from the He-atom including both the shake-off mechanism and a perturbative correction to that mechanism. The correction is calculated in second-order perturbation theory and includes Coulomb electron-electron interaction in addition to the correlation in the ground state of the He-atom. Our calculations for the ratio of double to single cross section cover the range from 30 to 300 keV of impact photon energy and explain the slow convergence of the ratio towards the asymptotic value.     

Multielectron ionization of atoms by fast ions: An approximation by normalized exponentials

Multielectron ionization of neutral atoms by fast positive ions is considered in terms of the independent particle model. A relatively simple technique for calculating the multielectron ionization probabilities and cross sections through the impact parameter is suggested in which one-electron ionization probabilities are represented as normalized exponentials p _nl(b) = p _nl(b) = p _nl(0)exp(?α_nl b), where b is the impact parameter and n and l are quantum numbers of the target atomic shell. Exponent α_nl is determined from the Born one-electron ionization cross section for target atoms, and preexponential p _nl(0) (the ionization probability at a zero impact parameter) is found from a geometrical model. This technique provides the normalization condition p _nl(b) ≤ 1 irrespective of the velocity and charge of striking ions and makes it possible to calculate the one-, two-, and three-electron ionization cross sections, which, when added up, make a major contribution to the total cross section, up to a factor of 2. The results of our computations are compared with experimental data and analytical results of other authors.     

Total cross section measurements for charge exchange of He++ ions with He and Ar atoms

Total charge exchange cross sections were measured for He⁺⁺ in He and Ar gas in the energy range from 50 to 540 eV using a single beam apparatus. For He⁺⁺ in He the measured cross section is in agreement with calculations for symmetric resonant charge exchange. For He⁺⁺ in Ar the cross section for charge exchange decreases with decreasing energy below 300 eV. The measured cross section suggests the formation of Ar⁺ ions to be more important at lower energies and the production of Ar⁺⁺ to be dominant at higher energies.     

Excitation and ionization cross sections of hydrogen-like atoms in collisions with relativistic highly charged ions

The relativistic eikonal approximation and a matching procedure are used to describe excitation and ionization of hydrogen-like atoms from an arbitrary discrete energy state by the impact of a highly charged relativistic bare ion. Bethe-type formulas are derived that are asymptotically valid in the limits of v → c and Z ? 1, where v is the relative collision velocity, c is the speed of light, and Z is the ion charge.     

K-shell ionization cross section of aluminium induced by low-energy highly charged argon ions

Al K-shell X-ray yields are measured with highly charged Ar^q+ ions (q=12–16) bombarding against aluminium. The energy range of the Ar ions is from 180 to 380 keV. K-shell ionization cross sections of aluminium are also obtained from the yields data. The experimental data is explained within the framework of 2pπ -2pσ rotational coupling. When Ar ions with 2p-shell vacancies are incident on aluminium, the vacancies begin to reduce. Meanwhile, collisions against Al atoms lead to the production of new 2p-shell vacancies of Ar ions. These Ar 2p-shell vacancies will transfer to the 1s orbit of an Al atom via 2pπ-2pσ rotational coupling leading to the emission of a K-shell X-ray of aluminiun. A model is constructed based on the base of the above physical scenario. The calculation results of the model are in agreement with the experimental results.     

Deep-core dielectronic-capture resonances in the electron-impact ionization of heavy atomic ions

Experimental measurements and theoretical calculations are carried out for the electron-impact ionization of Sm(12+). The low energy region of the single ionization cross section for Sm(12+) is found to be dominated by contributions from the indirect process of excitation autoionization. At about 1.0 keV strong resonance features are found in the experimental crossed-beam measurements performed in scan mode at high resolution. Theoretical calculations confirm that the high energy experimental features are due to deep-core dielectronic capture followed by sequential double Auger decay. The discovery of these unusual high energy resonances in single and multiple ionization opens the door for future systematic studies of how heavy atomic ions with deep inner-shell vacancies achieve final stabilization.