Spectroscopic analysis of N-intrashell transitions in Rb-like to Ni-like Yb ions

Area of Science:

• Atomic Physics
• Plasma Physics
• Spectroscopy

Background:

• Highly-charged ions are crucial for understanding atomic processes in astrophysical and laboratory plasmas.
• Electron Beam Ion Traps (EBIT) are advanced tools for producing and studying these ions.
• Extreme ultraviolet (EUV) spectroscopy provides detailed information about electronic transitions in ions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To observe and analyze the EUV spectra of highly-charged ytterbium ions.
• To identify new spectral lines and understand atomic structure effects.
• To interpret spectral data using advanced plasma modeling techniques.

Main Methods:

• Production of highly-charged ytterbium ions using an electron beam ion trap (EBIT) at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
• Observation of spectra in the extreme ultraviolet (EUV) region (4 nm-20 nm) with a grazing incidence spectrometer.
• Interpretation of spectral data through collisional-radiative modeling of the non-Maxwellian EBIT plasma.

Main Results:

• Observation of EUV spectra for ytterbium ions from Rb-like Yb33+ to Ni-like Yb42+.
• Identification of seventy-nine new spectral lines corresponding to intrashell (Δn = 0, n = 4) transitions.
• Analysis revealed significant effects of configuration interaction within the n = 4 complex on spectral properties.

Conclusions:

• The study successfully identified numerous new spectral lines in highly-charged ytterbium ions.
• Collisional-radiative modeling provided accurate interpretation of the complex spectra.
• The findings contribute to a deeper understanding of atomic structure and spectral properties in heavy, highly-charged ions.