New radiative loss curve from updates to collisional excitation in the low-density, optically thin plasmas in SPEX

TL;DR

This paper updates the SPEX plasma code with new atomic data and models for radiative loss due to collisional excitation in low-density, optically thin plasmas, providing a more accurate cooling curve for astrophysical applications.

Contribution

The paper introduces a new radiative loss curve for SPEX, incorporating updated atomic data and dielectronic recombination effects, enhancing plasma modeling accuracy.

Findings

New cooling curve for SPEX with updated atomic data.

Comparison shows improvements over other plasma codes.

Discovery of a new stable branch in the photoionised plasma stability curve.

Abstract

Understanding and modelling astrophysical plasmas on atomic levels while taking into account various assumptions (for example, collisional ionisation equilibrium or photoionisation equilibrium) became essential with the progress of high-resolution X-ray spectroscopy. In order to prepare for the upcoming X-ray spectroscopy missions such as XRISM or Athena, the plasma codes with their models and the atomic databases need to be up to date and accurate. One such update for the plasma code SPEX is presented in this paper where we focus on the radiative loss due to collisional excitation in the low-density, optically thin regime. We also update the atomic data for neutral hydrogen and include the contribution of the dielectronic recombination. With all these updates being implemented in SPEX we finally present the new cooling curve. We include the comparison to other plasma codes (MEKAL, APEC, Cloudy) and other atomic databases (CHIANTI, ADAS). We show how the updated cooling impacts the stability curve for photoionised plasmas and find a new stable branch.