A review of quantum collision dynamics in Debye plasmas

TL;DR

This paper reviews recent research on quantum collision dynamics in Debye plasmas, focusing on how Coulomb screening affects atomic processes and collision phenomena in dense plasma environments.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of recent studies on atomic physics in Debye plasmas, including electronic structure and collision processes, highlighting advances in theoretical modeling.

Findings

Debye screening significantly alters atomic collision cross sections.

Recent models improve understanding of plasma-atom interactions.

Screening effects are crucial for astrophysical and laboratory plasma applications.

Abstract

Hot, dense plasmas exhibit screened Coulomb interactions, resulting from the collective effects of correlated many-particle interactions. In the lowest particle correlation order (pair-wise correlations), the interaction between charged plasma particles reduces to the Debye-H\"uckel (Yukawa-type) potential, characterized by the Debye screening length D. Due to the importance of Coulomb interaction screening in dense laboratory and astrophysical plasmas, hundreds of theoretical investigations have been carried out in the past few decades on the plasma screening effects on the electronic structure of atoms and their collision processes employing the Debye-H\"uckel screening model. The present article aims at providing a comprehensive review of the recent studies in atomic physics in Debye plasmas. Specifically, the work on atomic electronic structure, photon excitation and ionization, electron/positron impact excitation and ionization, and excitation, ionization and charge transfer of ion-atom/ion collisions will be reviewed.