Application of Relativistic Coupled-cluster Theory to Electron Impact Excitations of Mg$^+$ in the Plasma Environment

TL;DR

This paper applies relativistic coupled-cluster theory to study electron impact excitations of Mg$^+$ ions, including in plasma environments, achieving accurate cross-section calculations and exploring plasma effects on atomic transitions.

Contribution

The work extends RCC theory to electron impact excitations of Mg$^+$ in plasma, providing accurate cross-sections and insights into plasma effects on atomic processes.

Findings

Calculated cross-sections agree well with experimental data.

Plasma environment influences excitation cross-sections and photon polarization.

Methodology can be applied to other atomic species in plasma physics.

Abstract

A relativistic coupled-cluster (RCC) theory is implemented to study electron impact excitations of atomic species. As a test case, the electron impact excitations of the $3s ~ ^2S_{1/2} - 3p ~ ^2P_{1/2;3/2}$ resonance transitions are investigated in the singly charged magnesium (Mg$^+$) ion using this theory. Accuracies of wave functions of Mg$^+$ are justified by evaluating its attachment energies of the relevant states and compared with the experimental values. The continuum wave function of the projectile electron are obtained by solving Dirac equations assuming distortion potential as static potential of the ground state of Mg$^+$. Comparison of the calculated electron impact excitation differential and total cross-sections with the available measurements are found to be in very good agreements at various incident electron energies. Further, calculations are carried out in the plasma environment in the Debye H\"uckel model framework, which could be useful in the astrophysics. Influence of plasma strength on the cross-sections as well as linear polarization of the photon emission in the $3p ~ ^2P_{3/2} - 3s ~ ^2S_{1/2}$ transition is investigated for different incident electron energies.