Ab-initio calculations on two-electron ions in strongly coupled plasma environment

TL;DR

This paper presents ab initio calculations of spectral properties of two-electron ions in strongly coupled plasma environments, resolving experimental-theoretical discrepancies and predicting critical plasma densities for spectral line disappearance.

Contribution

It introduces a novel ab initio method using Hylleraas coordinates and ion-sphere potential to accurately model two-electron ions in dense plasma, addressing numerical instability issues.

Findings

Excellent agreement with Orion laser experiments for electron densities

Predicted critical plasma densities for spectral line disappearance

First report of degeneracy and level-crossing phenomena in such ions

Abstract

In this work, the controversy between the interpretations of recent measurements on dense aluminum plasma created with Linac coherent light sources (LCLS) X-ray free electron laser (FEL) and Orion laser has been addressed. In both kind of experiments, helium-like and hydrogen-like spectral lines are used for plasma diagnostics . However, there exist no precise theoretical calculations for He-like ions within dense plasma environment. The strong need for an accurate theoretical estimates for spectral properties of He-like ions in strongly coupled plasma environment leads us to perform ab initio calculations in the framework of Rayleigh-Ritz variation principle in Hylleraas coordinates where ion-sphere potential is used. An approach to resolve the long-drawn problem of numerical instability for evaluating two-electron integrals with extended basis inside a finite domain is presented here. The present values of electron densities corresponding to disappearance of different spectral lines obtained within the framework of ion-sphere potential show excellent agreement with Orion laser experiments in Al plasma and with recent theories. Moreover, this method is extended to predict the critical plasma densities at which the spectral lines of H-like and He-like carbon and argon ions disappear. Incidental degeneracy and level-crossing phenomena are being reported for the first time for two-electron ions embedded in strongly coupled plasma. Thermodynamic pressure experienced by the ions in their respective ground states inside the ion-spheres are also reported.