Initial state dependence of convoy electrons emitted from the excited ions by resonant coherent excitation

Convoy electrons emitted from 416 MeV/u heliumlike Ar16+ ions excited by three-dimensional resonant coherent excitation (3D-RCE) have been explored. The 1s electron in the ground state was excited to the 2p state by a periodic crystal field during the passage through a Si crystal and released into the continuum by collisions with target atoms to form a cusp-shaped peak in the energy distribution, referred to as convoy electron. Under the resonance condition, we found not only enhancement of the convoy electron yield but also significant narrowing in the energy distribution, reflecting the initial bound state momentum distribution of the excited ions. This suggests that RCE is well-suited to study fast ion collisions involving the specific excited state.