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Updated: Jun 26, 2025

Thermochemical Studies of NiII and ZnII Ternary Complexes Using Ion Mobility-Mass Spectrometry
Published on: June 8, 2022
Numerical investigation of nonequilibrium electron effects on the collisional ionization rate in the
M S Cho1,2, H-K Chung3, M E Foord2
1Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Department of Physics and Photon Science, Gwangju 61005, South Korea.
Abstract:
The interplay of kinetic electron physics and atomic processes in ultrashort laser-plasma interactions provides a comprehensive understanding of the impact of the electron energy distribution on plasma properties. Notably, nonequilibrium electrons play a vital role in collisional ionization, influencing ionization degrees and spectra. This paper introduces a computational model that integrates the physics of kinetic electrons and atomic processes, utilizing a Boltzmann equation for nonequilibrium electrons and a collisional-radiative model for atomic state populations. The model is used to investigate the influence of nonequilibrium electrons on collisional ionization rates and its effect on the population distribution, as observed in a widely known experiment [Young et al., Nature (London) 466, 56 (2010)0028-083610.1038/nature09177]. The study reveals a significant nonequilibrium electron presence during XFEL-matter interactions, profoundly affecting collisional ionization rates in the gas plasma, thereby necessitating careful consideration of the Collisional-Radiative model applied to such systems.
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