Systematic investigation of electron impact excitation-autoionization from the ground state of highly charged GaI-like ions through (Delta)N=1 transitions.

摘要

A systematic variation in the line intensity ratios of GaI-like and ZnI-like ions of rare earth elements has been recently observed in spectra emitted in a low density, high temperature tokamak plasma. This variation is shown to be correlated with the gradual opening of autoionizing channels through inner-shell excited configurations of the GaI-like charge-state. These channels enhance the indirect ionization rate of GaI-like ions through excitation-autoionization (EA), effecting the ionization balance and temperatures of greatest abundance. We present a systematic investigation of EA and direct impact ionization (DI) in the GaI-like isoelectronic sequence from Mo (Z = 42) to Dy (Z = 66). As Z decreases from Dy to Pr (Z = 59) the levels of the configuration 3d(sup 9)4p4f, which are excited from the ground state by strong dipole collisional transitions, gradually cross the first ionization limit of the ion and are responsible for this ionization enhancement. When Z decreases further an additional channel is opened through the configuration 3d(sup 9)4p4d. 9 refs., 3 figs., 1 tab.