arXiv subjects

C. Krantz

Publications and source records attributed to C. Krantz.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Rate coefficients for dielectronic recombination of N-like Ne

Dielectronic recombination (DR) for the process Ne$^{3+}$ + e$^{-}$ $\rightarrow$ Ne$^{2+}$ was investigated in a merged-beams arrangement at the heavy-ion storage ring CRYRING@ESR. The energy-dependent DR rate coefficient, $\alpha(E)$ was measured over the electron-ion collision energy range from 0 to 25 eV. The measurements cover the complete set of DR resonance series associated with $2s\to2p$ core excitations. The primary ion beam is estimated to have consisted of $44\%$ of the ions in the ground state, with the remainder distributed among long-lived metastable levels. In addition to the measurements we carried out quantum mechanical calculations of DR cross sections. The theoretical treatment includes contributions from the ground and excited metastable initial levels, weighted according to the estimated beam composition. From the experimental energy-resolved spectra, we derive a temperature dependent DR plasma recombination rate coefficient $\alpha_\mathrm{exp}(T)$ (PRRC). In the temperature domain where Ne$^{3+}$ is abundant in collisionally ionized plasmas, the present results show a good agreement with the present and with previous theoretical predictions. In the low-temperature regime characteristic for photoionized plasmas, the experimentally derived DR plasma rate coefficient is slightly larger than the published theoretical ones and does not agree within the experimental uncertainties. Parametrized fits of the experimentally derived DR PRRC are presented in order to facilitate an easy inclusion into astrophysical modelling codes.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2025

Electron-ion collision spectroscopy at the CRYRING@ESR electron cooler

Electron-ion collision spectroscopy at heavy-ion storage rings aims at precision measurements of resonance features that occur in the cross sections of electron collision processes such as electron-impact ionization of ions or electron-ion recombination. As part of the international FAIR project, the low-energy ion storage ring CRYRING@ESR has been coupled with the heavy-ion accelerators operated by the GSI Helmholtz Center for Heavy-Ion Research in Darmstadt, Germany. This has created a new opportunity for stringent tests of strong field quantum electrodynamics by electron-ion collision spectroscopy of heavy few-electron ions. The present contribution provides details of the electron-ion collision spectroscopy setup at CRYRING@ESR and of the associated data-analysis procedures along with first results for nonresonant and resonant recombination of berylliumlike lead ions. For nonresonant recombination a recombination rate enhancement factor of 3.5 is found at zero electron-ion collision energy. For resonant recombination there is excellent agreement with recent theoretical results when these are shifted by 340~meV in energy.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2025

Testing strong-field QED to second-order in the highly correlated atomic system berylliumlike Pb78+ by electron-ion recombination spectroscopy

A low-energy storage ring with an ultracold electron cooler has been coupled with a heavy-ion accelerator facilitating high-resolution electron-ion collision spectroscopy of the heaviest few-electron ions. In the present work resonant electron-ion recombination of berylliumlike Pb$^{78+}$ ions was measured in the collision-energy range 9.3-16.5eV and a value of 244.937(30) eV is derived for the Pb$^{78+}$($2s^2\;^1S_0 - 2s\,2p\;^3P_1$) excitation energy. This result agrees with the most recent (less accurate) theoretical value of 244.942(52) eV [Malyshev et al., Physical Review A 110, 062824 (2024)], which has been calculated by applying strong-field QED rigorously up to the second order. The present investigation suggests that further technical improvements can potentially increase the experimental accuracy by an order of magnitude.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2024

A Setup to Study Atomic State Population Dynamics and Optical Polarization at CRYRING@ESR

We present a recently established setup for laser spectroscopy at CRYRING@ESR at the GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research. Here, laser spectroscopy can be performed on stored and cooled ion bunches and coasting beams. First spectra of $^{24,25}$Mg$^+$ ions are presented that were recorded by classical Doppler-limited fluorescence spectroscopy as well as $\Lambda$-spectroscopy using counter- and copropagating laser beams that are Doppler-shifted by several nm.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2017

Radiative rotational lifetimes and state-resolved relative detachment cross sections from photodetachment thermometry of molecular anions in a cryogenic storage ring

Photodetachment thermometry on a beam of OH$^-$ in a cryogenic storage ring cooled to below 10 K is carried out using two-dimensional, frequency and time dependent photodetachment spectroscopy over 20 minutes of ion storage. In equilibrium with the low-level blackbody field, we find an effective radiative temperature near 15 K with about 90% of all ions in the rotational ground state. We measure the J = 1 natural lifetime (about 193 s) and determine the OH$^-$ rotational transition dipole moment with 1.5% uncertainty. We also measure rotationally dependent relative near-threshold photodetachment cross sections for photodetachment thermometry.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2017

Single-particle detection of products from atomic and molecular reactions in a cryogenic ion storage ring

We have used a single-particle detector system, based on secondary electron emission, for counting low-energetic (~keV/u) massive products originating from atomic and molecular ion reactions in the electrostatic Cryogenic Storage Ring (CSR). The detector is movable within the cryogenic vacuum chamber of CSR, and was used to measure production rates of a variety of charged and neutral daughter particles. In operation at a temperature of ~6 K, the detector is characterised by a high dynamic range, combining a low dark event rate with good high-rate particle counting capability. On-line measurement of the pulse height distributions proved to be an important monitor of the detector response at low temperature. Statistical pulse-height analysis allows to infer the particle detection efficiency of the detector, which has been found to be close to unity also in cryogenic operation at 6 K.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2015

Absolute rate coefficients for photorecombination of berylliumlike and boronlike silicon ions

We report measured rate coefficients for electron-ion recombination for Si10+ forming Si9+ and for Si9+ forming Si8+, respectively. The measurements were performed using the electron-ion merged-beams technique at a heavy-ion storage ring. Electron-ion collision energies ranged from 0 to 50 eV for Si9+ and from 0 to 2000 eV for Si10+, thus, extending previous measurements for Si10+ [Orban et al. 2010, Astrophys. J. 721, 1603] to much higher energies. Experimentally derived rate coefficients for the recombination of Si9+ and Si10+ ions in a plasma are presented along with simple parameterizations. These rate coefficients are useful for the modeling of the charge balance of silicon in photoionized plasmas (Si9+ and Si10+) and in collisionally ionized plasmas (Si10+ only). In the corresponding temperature ranges, the experimentally derived rate coefficients agree with the latest corresponding theoretical results within the experimental uncertainties.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2015

Storage Ring Cross Section Measurements for Electron Impact Ionization of Fe 7+

We have measured electron impact ionization (EII) for Fe 7+ from the ionization threshold up to 1200 eV. The measurements were performed using the TSR heavy ion storage ring. The ions were stored long enough prior to measurement to remove most metastables, resulting in a beam of 94% ground state ions. Comparing with the previously recommended atomic data, we find that the Arnaud & Raymond (1992) cross section is up to about 40\% larger than our measurement, with the largest discrepancies below about 400~eV. The cross section of Dere (2007) agrees to within 10%, which is about the magnitude of the experimental uncertainties. The remaining discrepancies between measurement and the most recent theory are likely due to shortcomings in the theoretical treatment of the excitation-autoionization contribution.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2015

Cryogenic micro-calorimeters for mass spectrometric identification of neutral molecules and molecular fragments

We have systematically investigated the energy resolution of a magnetic micro-calorimeter (MMC) for atomic and molecular projectiles at impact energies ranging from $E\approx13$ to 150 keV. For atoms we obtained absolute energy resolutions down to $ΔE \approx 120$ eV and relative energy resolutions down to $ΔE/E\approx10^{-3}$. We also studied in detail the MMC energy-response function to molecular projectiles of up to mass 56 u. We have demonstrated the capability of identifying neutral fragmentation products of these molecules by calorimetric mass spectrometry. We have modeled the MMC energy-response function for molecular projectiles and conclude that backscattering is the dominant source of the energy spread at the impact energies investigated. We have successfully demonstrated the use of a detector absorber coating to suppress such spreads. We briefly outline the use of MMC detectors in experiments on gas-phase collision reactions with neutral products. Our findings are of general interest for mass spectrometric techniques, particularly for those desiring to make neutral-particle mass measurements.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2014

Recombination of W18+ ions with electrons: Absolute rate coefficients from a storage-ring experiment and from theoretical calculations

We present new experimentally measured and theoretically calculated rate coefficients for the electron-ion recombination of W$^{18+}$([Kr] $4d^{10}$ $4f^{10}$) forming W$^{17+}$. At low electron-ion collision energies, the merged-beam rate coefficient is dominated by strong, mutually overlapping, recombination resonances. In the temperature range where the fractional abundance of W$^{18+}$ is expected to peak in a fusion plasma, the experimentally derived Maxwellian recombination rate coefficient is 5 to 10 times larger than that which is currently recommended for plasma modeling. The complexity of the atomic structure of the open-$4f$-system under study makes the theoretical calculations extremely demanding. Nevertheless, the results of new Breit-Wigner partitioned dielectronic recombination calculations agree reasonably well with the experimental findings. This also gives confidence in the ability of the theory to generate sufficiently accurate atomic data for the plasma modeling of other complex ions.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2014

Dissociative recombination measurements of NH$^+$ using an ion storage ring

We have investigated dissociative recombination (DR) of NH$^+$ with electrons using a merged beams configuration at the TSR heavy-ion storage ring located at the Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics in Heidelberg, Germany. We present our measured absolute merged beams recombination rate coefficient for collision energies from 0 to 12 eV. From these data we have extracted a cross section which we have transformed to a plasma rate coefficient for the collisional plasma temperature range from $T_{\rm pl} = 10$ to $18000$ K. We show that the NH$^+$ DR rate coefficient data in current astrochemical models are underestimated by up to a factor of $\sim 9$. Our new data will result in predicted NH$^+$ abundances lower than calculated by present models. This is in agreement with the sensitivity limits of all observations attempting to detect NH$^+$ in interstellar clouds.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2014

Absolute rate coefficients for photorecombination and electron-impact ionization of magnesium-like iron ions from measurements at a heavy-ion storage ring

Rate coefficients for photorecombination (PR) and cross sections for electron-impact ionization (EII) of Fe$^{14+}$ forming Fe$^{13+}$ and Fe$^{15+}$, respectively, have been measured by employing the electron-ion merged-beams technique at a heavy-ion storage ring. Rate coefficients for PR and EII of Fe$^{14+}$ ions in a plasma are derived from the experimental measurements. Simple parametrizations of the experimentally derived plasma rate coefficients are provided for use in the modeling of photoionized and collisionally ionized plasmas. In the temperature ranges where Fe$^{14+}$ is expected to form in such plasmas the latest theoretical rate coefficients of Altun et al. [Astron. Astrophys. 474, 1051 (2007)] for PR and of Dere [Astron. Astrophys. 466, 771 (2007)] for EII agree with the experimental results to within the experimental uncertainties. Common features in the PR and EII resonance structures are identified and discussed.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2013

Dissociative recombination measurements of HCl+ using an ion storage ring

We have measured dissociative recombination of HCl+ with electrons using a merged beams configuration at the heavy-ion storage ring TSR located at the Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics in Heidelberg, Germany. We present the measured absolute merged beams recombination rate coefficient for collision energies from 0 to 4.5 eV. We have also developed a new method for deriving the cross section from the measurements. Our approach does not suffer from approximations made by previously used methods. The cross section was transformed to a plasma rate coefficient for the electron temperature range from T=10 to 5000 K. We show that the previously used HCl+ DR data underestimate the plasma rate coefficient by a factor of 1.5 at T=10 K and overestimate it by a factor of 3.0 at T=300 K. We also find that the new data may partly explain existing discrepancies between observed abundances of chlorine-bearing molecules and their astrochemical models.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2013

Storage Ring Cross Section Measurements for Electron Impact Single and Double Ionization of Fe^13+ and Single Ionization of Fe^16+ and Fe^17+

We report measurements of electron impact ionization (EII) for Fe^13+, Fe^16+, and Fe^17+ over collision energies from below threshold to above 3000 eV. The ions were recirculated using an ion storage ring. Data were collected after a sufficiently long time that essentially all the ions had relaxed radiatively to their ground state before data were collected. For single ionization of $\fethirteen$ we find that previous single pass experiments are more than 40% larger than our results. Compared to our work, the theoretical cross section recommended by Arnaud & Raymond (1992) is more than 30% larger, while that of Dere (2007) is about 20% greater. Much of the discrepancy with Dere (2007) is due to the theory overestimating the contribution of excitation-autoionization via n=2 excitations. Double ionization of Fe^13+ is dominated by direct ionization of an inner shell electron accompanied by autoionization of a second electron. Our results for single ionization of Fe^16+ and Fe^17+ agree with theoretical calculations to within the experimental uncertainties.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2012

Electron-ion Recombination of Fe XII forming Fe XI: Laboratory Measurements and Theoretical Calculations

We have measured electron-ion recombination for Fe XII forming Fe XI using a merged beams configuration at the heavy-ion storage ring TSR located at the Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics in Heidelberg, Germany. The measured merged beams recombination rate coefficient (MBRRC) for collision energies from 0 to 1500 eV is presented. This work uses a new method for determining the absolute MBRRC based on a comparison of the ion beam decay rate with and without the electron beam on. For energies below 75 eV, the spectrum is dominated by dielectronic recombination (DR) resonances associated with 3s-3p and 3p-3d core excitations. At higher energies we observe contributions from 3-N' and 2-N' core excitations DR. We compare our experimental results to state-of-the-art multi-configuration Breit-Pauli (MCBP) calculations and find significant differences, both in resonance energies and strengths. We have extracted the DR contributions from the measured MBRRC data and transformed them into a plasma recombination rate coefficient (PRRC) for temperatures in the range of 10^3 to 10^7 K. We show that the previously recommended DR data for Fe XII significantly underestimate the PRRC at temperatures relevant for both photoionized plasmas (PPs) and collisionaly ionized plasmas (CPs). This is to be contrasted with our MCBP PRRC results which agree with the experiment to within 30% at PP temperatures and even better at CP temperatures. We find this agreement despite the disagreement shown by the detailed comparison between our MCBP and experimental MBRRC results. Lastly, we present a simple parameterized form of the experimentally derived PRRC for easy use in astrophysical modelling codes.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2011

Storage-ring measurement of the hyperfine-induced 2s 2p 3P0 -> 2s2 1S0 transition rate in beryllium-like sulfur

The hyperfine induced 2s 2p 3P0 -> 2s2 1S0 transition rate in Be-like sulfur was measured by monitoring the decay of isotopically pure beams of 32-S12+ and 33-S12+ ions in a heavy-ion storage ring. Within the 4% experimental uncertainty the experimental value of 0.096(4)/s agrees with the most recent theoretical results of Cheng et al. [Phys. Rev. A 77, 052504 (2008)] and Andersson et al. [Phys. Rev. A 79, 032501 (2009)]. Repeated experiments with different magnetic fields in the storage-ring bending magnets demonstrate that artificial quenching of the 2s 2p 3P0 state by these magnetic fields is negligible.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2011

Storage Ring Cross Section Measurements for Electron Impact Ionization of Fe^11+ Forming Fe^12+ and Fe^13+

We report ionization cross section measurements for electron impact single ionization (EISI) of Fe^11+$ forming Fe^12+ and electron impact double ionization (EIDI) of Fe^11+ forming Fe^13+. The measurements cover the center-of-mass energy range from approximately 230 eV to 2300 eV. The experiment was performed using the heavy ion storage ring TSR located at the Max-Planck-Institut fur Kernphysik in Heidelberg, Germany. The storage ring approach allows nearly all metastable levels to relax to the ground state before data collection begins. We find that the cross section for single ionization is 30% smaller than was previously measured in a single pass experiment using an ion beam with an unknown metastable fraction. We also find some significant differences between our experimental cross section for single ionization and recent distorted wave (DW) calculations. The DW Maxwellian EISI rate coefficient for Fe^11+ forming Fe^12+ may be underestimated by as much as 25% at temperatures for which Fe^11+ is abundant in collisional ionization equilibrium. This is likely due to the absence of 3s excitation-autoionization (EA) in the calculations. However, a precise measurement of the cross section due to this EA channel was not possible because this process is not distinguishable experimentally from electron impact excitation of an n=3 electron to levels of n > 44 followed by field ionization in the charge state analyzer after the interaction region. Our experimental results also indicate that the double ionization cross section is dominated by the indirect process in which direct single ionization of an inner shell 2l electron is followed by autoionization resulting in a net double ionization.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2011

Dielectronic recombination of xenonlike tungsten ions

Dielectronic recombination (DR) of xenonlike W20+ forming W19+ has been studied experimentally at a heavy-ion storage-ring. A merged-beams method has been employed for obtaining absolute rate coefficients for electron-ion recombination in the collision energy range 0-140 eV. The measured rate coefficient is dominated by strong DR resonances even at the lowest experimental energies. At plasma temperatures where the fractional abundance of W20+ is expected to peak in a fusion plasma, the experimentally derived plasma recombination rate coefficient is over a factor of 4 larger than the theoretically-calculated rate coefficient which is currently used in fusion plasma modeling. The largest part of this discrepancy stems most probably from the neglect in the theoretical calculations of DR associated with fine-structure excitations of the W20+([Kr] 4d10 4f8) ion core.

physics.atom-ph↗