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Abstract: Metastable levels of highly charged ions that can only decay via highly forbidden transitions can have a significant effect on the properties of high temperature plasmas. For example, the highly forbidden 3d 10 J = 0 - 3d 9 4 s ( 5 2 , 1 2 ) J = 3 magnetic octupole (M3) transition in nickel-like ions can result in a large metastable population of its upper level which can then be ionized by electrons of energies below the ground state ionization potential. We present a method to study metastable electronic states in highly charged ions that decay by x-ray emission in electron beam ion traps (EBIT). The time evolution of the emission intensity can be used to study the parameters of ionization balance dynamics and the lifetime of metastable states. The temporal and energy resolution of a new transition-edge sensor microcalorimeter array enables these studies at the National Institute of Standards and Technology EBIT., Graphical Abstract: NOMAD calculated time evolution of the ratio of the Ni-like and Co-like lines in Nd at varying electron densities compared with measured ratios., Competing Interests: Conflict of interestThe authors have no conflict of interest to declare that are relevant to the content of this article., (© The Author(s) 2024.)

Atomic spectroscopy and atomic physics papers represent a significant part of publications in Journal of Physical and Chemical Reference Data (JPCRD). Critical compilations of spectroscopic data, accurate calculations of collisional parameters, and bibliography on spectral line profiles and shifts provided much needed information for plasma physics, astrophysics, lithography, fusion research, and other fields of science. We present a brief overview of the atomic physics research published in JPCRD over its first 50 years., Competing Interests: 6.1. Conflict of Interest The author has no conflicts to disclose.

We present spectroscopic measurements and detailed theoretical analysis of inner-shell L M n and L N n ( n ⩾ 4 ) dielectronic resonances in highly charged M -shell ions of tungsten. The x-ray emission from W 49 + through W 64 + was recorded at the electron-beam ion trap (EBIT) facility at the National Institute of Standards and Technology with a high-purity Ge detector for electron-beam energies between 6.8 and 10.8 keV. The measured spectra clearly show the presence of strong resonance features as well as direct excitation spectral lines. The analysis of the recorded spectra with large-scale collisional-radiative modeling of the EBIT plasma allowed us to unambiguously identify numerous dielectronic resonances associated with excitations of the inner-shell 2 s 1 / 2 , 2 p 1 / 2 , and 2 p 3 / 2 electrons.

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.

We report on the design, commissioning, and initial measurements of a Transition-Edge Sensor (TES) x-ray spectrometer for the Electron Beam Ion Trap (EBIT) at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Over the past few decades, the NIST EBIT has produced numerous studies of highly charged ions in diverse fields such as atomic physics, plasma spectroscopy, and laboratory astrophysics. The newly commissioned NIST EBIT TES Spectrometer (NETS) improves the measurement capabilities of the EBIT through a combination of high x-ray collection efficiency and resolving power. NETS utilizes 192 individual TES x-ray microcalorimeters (166/192 yield) to improve upon the collection area by a factor of ∼30 over the 4-pixel neutron transmutation doped germanium-based microcalorimeter spectrometer previously used at the NIST EBIT. The NETS microcalorimeters are optimized for the x-ray energies from roughly 500 eV to 8000 eV and achieve an energy resolution of 3.7 eV-5.0 eV over this range, a more modest (<2×) improvement over the previous microcalorimeters. Beyond this energy range, NETS can operate with various trade-offs, the most significant of which are reduced efficiency at lower energies and being limited to a subset of the pixels at higher energies. As an initial demonstration of the capabilities of NETS, we measured transitions in He-like and H-like O, Ne, and Ar as well as Ni-like W. We detail the energy calibration and data analysis techniques used to transform detector counts into x-ray spectra, a process that will be the basis for analyzing future data.

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.

Analytic fits to the recommended electron-impact excitation and ionization cross sections for Be I are presented. The lowest 19 terms of configurations 2 snl ( n ≤ 4) and 2 p 2 terms below the first ionization limit are considered. The fits are based on the accurate calculations with the convergent close coupling (CCC) method as well as the B-spline R-matrix (BSR) approach. The fitted cross sections provide rate coefficients that are believed to approximate the original data within 10% with very few exceptions. The oscillator strengths for the dipole-allowed transitions between all the considered states are calculated with the relativistic multi-configuration Dirac-Hartree-Fock (MCDHF) approach and compared with the CCC and BSR results. This comparison shows a very good agreement except for a handful of cases with likely strong cancellations.

The difference in the mean-square nuclear charge radius of xenon isotopes was measured utilizing a method based on extreme ultraviolet spectroscopy of highly charged Na-like ions. The isotope shift of the Na-like D 1 (3 s 2 S 1 / 2 - 3 p 2 P 1/2 ) transition between the 124 Xe and 136 Xe isotopes was experimentally determined using the electron-beam ion-trap facility at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. The mass-shift and the field-shift coefficients were calculated with enhanced precision by the relativistic many-body perturbation theory and multiconfiguration Dirac-Hartree-Fock method. The mean-square nuclear charge radius difference was found to be δ 〈 r 2 〉 136,124 = 0.269(42) fm 2 . Our result has smaller uncertainty than previous experimental results and agrees with the literature values.

Extreme ultraviolet spectra of highly charged tungsten ions were produced with an electron beam ion trap at the National Institute of Standards and Technology and recorded with a flat-field grazing-incidence spectrometer. The spectra were measured in the wavelength range 2.7-17.3 nm while the beam energy varied between 1.65 and 2.00 keV. At these energies, the ionization stages from Zr-like W 34+ to Se-like W 40+ ions were observed. Large-scale collisional-radiative modelling was used to identify the strong lines, including 15 new ones, which represent electric dipole n = 4-4 transitions in these ions. While a good quantitative agreement between theoretical and experimental data was found for almost all ions, some of the tentatively identified wavelengths in W 35+ significantly disagree from all available calculations.

The properties of hot, dense plasmas generated by the irradiation of GaAs targets by the Titan laser at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory were determined by the analysis of high resolution K shell spectra in the 9 keV to 11 keV range. The laser parameters, such as relatively long pulse duration and large focal spot, were chosen to produce a steady-state plasma with minimal edge gradients, and the time-integrated spectra were compared to non-LTE steady state spectrum simulations using the FLYCHK and NOMAD codes. The bulk plasma streaming velocity was measured from the energy shifts of the Ga He-like transitions and Li-like dielectronic satellites. The electron density and the electron energy distribution, both the thermal and the hot non-thermal components, were determined from the spectral line ratios. After accounting for the spectral line broadening contributions, the plasma turbulent motion was measured from the residual line widths. The ionization balance was determined from the ratios of the He-like through F-like spectral features. The detailed comparison of the experimental Ga spectrum and the spectrum simulated by the FLYCHK code indicates two significant discrepancies, the transition energy of a Li-like dielectronic satellite (designated t ) and the calculated intensity of a He-like line ( x ), that should lead to improvements in the kinetics codes used to simulate the X-ray spectra from highly-charged ions.

Extensive self-consistent multi-configuration Dirac-Hartree-Fock (MCDHF) calculations are performed for the 3s 2 3p 6 3d k ( k = 1-9) ground configurations of highly charged ions ( Z = 72-83). Complete and consistent datasets of excitation energies, wavelengths, line strengths, oscillator strengths, and magnetic dipole (M1) and electric quadrupole (E2) transition rates among all these levels are given. We have compared our results with the results available in the literature and the accuracy of the data is assessed. We predict new energy levels and transition probabilities where no other experimental or theoretical results are available, which will form the basis for future experimental work.

Energy levels, wavelengths, magnetic-dipole and electric-quadrupole transition rates between the low-lying states are evaluated for W 51+ to W 54+ ions with 3 d n ( n = 2 to 5) electronic configurations by using an approach combining configuration interaction with the linearized coupled-cluster single-double method. The QED corrections are directly incorporated into the calculations and their effect is studied in detail. Uncertainties of the calculations are discussed. This study of such highly charged ions with the present method opens the way for future applications allowing an accurate prediction of properties for a very wide range of highly charged ions aimed at providing precision benchmarks for various applications.

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.

We review the 9th NLTE code comparison workshop, which was held in the Jussieu campus, Paris, from November 30th to December 4th, 2015. This time, the workshop was mainly focused on a systematic investigation of iron NLTE steady-state kinetics and emissivity, over a broad range of temperature and density. Through these comparisons, topics such as modeling of the dielectronic processes, density effects or the effect of an external radiation field were addressed. The K-shell spectroscopy of iron plasmas was also addressed, notably through the interpretation of tokamak and laser experimental spectra.

Application of visible or infrared (IR) lasers for spectroscopy of highly-charged ions (HCI) has not been particularly extensive so far due to a mismatch in typical energies. We show here that the energy difference between the two lowest levels within the first excited configuration 3 d 9 4 s in Ni-like ions of heavy elements from Z N = 60 to Z N = 92 is within the range of visible or near-IR lasers. The wavelengths of these transitions are calculated within the relativistic model potential formalism and compared with other theoretical and limited experimental data. Detailed collisional-radiative simulations of non-Maxwellian and thermal plasmas are performed showing that photopumping between these levels using relatively moderate lasers is sufficient to provide a two-order of magnitude increase of the pumped level population. This accordingly results in a similar rise of the X-ray line intensity thereby allowing control of X-ray emission with visible/IR lasers.

In this work we analyze magnetic sublevel populations in a neutral beam penetrating a fusion plasma. The collisional-radiative model NOMAD was extended to include magnetic parabolic sublevels with principal quantum numbers n ≤ 10. The collisional parameters were calculated with the advanced atomic-orbital close coupling method and the Glauber approximation. The ionization by the induced electric field was also included in the model. The results of our calculations show significant deviations of the sublevel populations and, accordingly, line intensities of the σ and π components, from the statistical approximation. It is shown, for instance, that for a number of experimental conditions the total intensity of σ components is not equal to the total intensity of π components, which has a strong effect on determination of magnetic field and pitch angle in fusion devices. The results are presented for a wide range of plasma and beam parameters. The most significant deviations are observed for strong magnetic fields and high beam energies typical for the ITER plasma, where component intensity ratios may deviate by more than 20% from the statistical values.

We study warm dense matter formed by subpicosecond laser irradiation at several 10(19) W/cm(2) of thin Ti foils using x-ray spectroscopy with high spectral (E/DeltaE approximately 15,000) and one-dimensional spatial (Deltax=13.5 microm) resolutions. Ti Kalpha doublets modeled by line-shape calculations are compared with Abel-inverted single-pulse experimental spectra and provide radial distributions of the bulk-electron temperature and the absolute-photon number Kalpha yield in the target interiors. A core with approximately 40 eV extends homogeneously up to ten times the laser-focus size. The spatial distributions of the bulk-electron temperature and Kalpha yield are strongly correlated.

We present spectroscopic measurements in which utilized are line-intensity ratios in the near-uv to measure electron energies of several hundred eVs, which usually necessitates the use of emission in the soft x-ray region. The main intensity ratio selected is of the BIII transition 1s(2)2s2S(1/2)-1s(2)2p2P3/2 (2066A) and the BIV transition 1s2s3S(1)-1s2p3P2 (2822A). A detailed atomic-kinetics modeling is made to demonstrate the usefulness of this atomic system for studying transient, ionizing plasmas. Here, it is applied for the characterization of high-electron energies (approximately 500 eV) generated due to the rapid penetration of a magnetic field pulse into a low-collisionality plasma. Limitations of the use of the method are discussed.