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Over the last 25 years, the atomic standard reference databases and online tools developed at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have provided users around the world with the highest-quality data on various atomic parameters (e.g., level energies, transition wavelengths, and oscillator strengths) and online capabilities for fast and reliable collisional-radiative modeling of diverse plasmas. Here we present an overview of the recent developments regarding NIST numerical and bibliographic atomic databases and outline the prospects and vision of their evolution., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Extreme ultraviolet spectra of highly-charged ytterbium ions produced in an electron beam ion trap at the National Institute of Standards and Technology were observed with a flat-field grazing incidence spectrometer in the wavelength region of about 4 nm-20 nm. The measured spectra were interpreted through detailed analysis by collisional-radiative modeling of the non-Maxwellian EBIT plasma. Seventy-nine new spectral lines due to intrashell (Δ n = 0, n = 4) electric-dipole, magnetic-dipole, and electric-quadrupole transitions were identified in Rb-like Yb 33+ through Ni-like Yb 42+ ions. The effects of strong configuration interaction within the n = 4 complex on the measured spectra are discussed for a number of ionization stages.

Motivated by possible atomic origins of the unidentified emission line detected at 3.55-3.57 keV in a stacked spectrum of galaxy clusters, an electron beam ion trap (EBIT) was used to investigate the resonant dielectronic recombination (DR) process in highly charged argon ions as a possible contributor to the emission feature. The He-like Ar DR-induced transition 1s 2 2 l -1s2 l 3 l ' was suggested to produce a 3.62 keV photon near the unidentified line at 3.57 keV and was the starting point of our investigation. The collisional-radiative model NOMAD was used to create synthetic spectra for comparison with both our EBIT measurements and with spectra produced with the AtomDB database/Astrophysical Plasma Emission Code (APEC) used in the Bulbul et al. work. Excellent agreement was found between the NOMAD and EBIT spectra, providing a high level of confidence in the atomic data used. Comparison of the NOMAD and APEC spectra revealed a number of missing features in the AtomDB database near the unidentified line. At an electron temperature of T e = 1.72 keV, the inclusion of the missing lines in AtomDB increases the total flux in the 3.5-3.66 keV energy band by a factor of 2. While important, this extra emission is not enough to explain the unidentified line found in the galaxy cluster spectra.

Extreme ultraviolet spectra of the L-shell ions of highly charged yttrium ( Y 26 + - Y 36 + ) were observed in the electron beam ion trap of the National Institute of Standards and Technology using a flat-field grazing-incidence spectrometer in the wavelength range of 4 nm-20 nm. The electron beam energy was systematically varied from 2.3 keV-6.0 keV to selectively produce different ionization stages. Fifty-nine spectral lines corresponding to Δ n = 0 transitions within the n = 2 and n = 3 shells have been identified using detailed collisional-radiative (CR) modeling of the non-Maxwellian plasma. The uncertainties of the wavelength determinations ranged between 0.0004 nm and 0.0020 nm. Li-like resonance lines, 2 s - 2 p 1 / 2 and 2 s - 2 p 3 / 2 , and the Na-like D lines, 3 s - 3 p 1 / 2 and 3 s - 3 p 3 / 2 , have been measured and compared with previous measurements and calculations. Forbidden magnetic dipole (M1) transitions were identified and analyzed for their potential applicability in plasma diagnostics using large-scale CR calculations including approximately 1.5 million transitions. Several line ratios were found to show strong dependence on electron density and, hence, may be implemented in the diagnostics of hot plasmas, in particular in fusion devices., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest.