An R-matrix with pseudo-state (RMPS) approach to the single photon double ionization and excitation of the He-like Li$^{+}$ ion

TL;DR

This paper extends the R-matrix with pseudo-state (RMPS) method to accurately model single photon double ionization of the He-like Li$^{+}$ ion, comparing results with other advanced theoretical approaches and highlighting the small cross sections involved.

Contribution

The study applies and benchmarks the RMPS method for double ionization processes in Li$^{+}$, providing detailed comparisons with other state-of-the-art theories and discussing the challenges in experimental detection.

Findings

Excellent agreement with other theoretical methods.

Cross sections are very small, around 2-10 Kb.

Differences with other approaches are analyzed and discussed.

Abstract

The success of the R-matrix with pseudo-state (RMPS) method to model single photoionization processes, benchmarked against dedicated synchrotron light source measurements, is exploited and extended to investigate, single photon double ionization cross-sections for the He-like, Li$^+$ ion. We investigate these processes from both the ground state and the excited $\rm 1s2s^{1,3}S$ metastable levels of this He-like system. Comparisons of the results from the R-matrix plus pseudo-state (RMPS) method are made with other state-of-the-art theoretical approaches such as time-dependent close-coupling (TDCC), B-splines and the convergent close-coupling (CCC). Excellent agreement with various other theoretical approaches are achieved but differences occur which are high-lighted and discussed. For the ground state the peak of the cross section is $\sim$ 2 kilo-barns (Kb), that for the $\rm 1s2s^{1}S$ state is $\sim$ 6 Kb and $\sim$ 1 Kb for the corresponding $\rm 1s2s^{3}S$ state. All the cross sections for single photon double ionization are extremely small, being in the region of 2Kb -- 10 Kb, or less, rendering their experimental determination extremely challenging.