arXiv subjects

José Paulo Santos

Publications and source records attributed to José Paulo Santos.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Theoretical ab initio Evolution of Satellite Intensity near Threshold for Cu K-shell transitions

In this work, we have investigated the evolution of satellite intensity near the ionization threshold for Cu K-shell transitions through theoretical methods. Employing standard state-of-the-art ab initio methods, we have calculated all Cu K-shell transitions and simulated the full K$α_1$ and K$α_2$ spectrum where all transition parameters, as well as shake probabilities were determined theoretically. Through these calculations we show that standard state-of-the-art ab initio methods achieve good agreement with experiment and enable us to simulate the intensity evolution near ionization thresholds within a good margin of error. Below-threshold satellite intensity was found to originate from resonant 1s$\rightarrow$3d and 1s$\rightarrow$4p excitations in Cu(I) and Cu(II) oxide phases respectively, which were included in our simulations.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2026

Aluminum-Based Superconducting Tunnel Junction Sensors for Nuclear Recoil Spectroscopy

The BeEST experiment is searching for sub-MeV sterile neutrinos by measuring nuclear recoil energies from the decay of $^7$Be implanted into superconducting tunnel junction (STJ) sensors. The recoil spectra are affected by interactions between the radioactive implants and the sensor materials. We are therefore developing aluminum-based STJs (Al-STJs) as an alternative to existing tantalum devices (Ta-STJs) to investigate how to separate material effects in the recoil spectrum from potential signatures of physics beyond the Standard Model. Three iterations of Al-STJs were fabricated. The first had electrode thicknesses similar to existing Ta-STJs. They had low responsivity and reduced resolution, but were used successfully to measure $^7$Be nuclear recoil spectra. The second iteration had STJs suspended on thin SiN membranes by backside etching. These devices had low leakage current, but also low yield. The final iteration was not backside etched, and the Al-STJs had thinner electrodes and thinner tunnel barriers to increase signal amplitudes. These devices achieved 2.96 eV FWHM energy resolution at 50 eV using a pulsed 355 nm (~3.5 eV) laser. These results establish Al-STJs as viable detectors for systematic material studies in the BeEST experiment.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2026

Shake-up and shake-off spectra in the electron capture decay of atomic $^7$Be

The most stringent laboratory-based experimental limits on the existence of sub-MeV sterile neutrinos are currently set by decay spectroscopy of radioactive $^7$Be embedded into superconducting sensors. The systematic uncertainties are dominated by the modeling of the electron shake-up and shake-off spectra that are not based on state-of-the-art atomic theory and do not include electron correlations or relativistic effects. We have used the multiconfiguration Dirac-Fock formalism to obtain correlated wavefunctions ab initio and compute all single and double shake processes in the electron capture decay of atomic $^7$Be. The simulations can explain some but not all of the observed spectral features, likely because the wave functions are modified by the Ta sensor material that the $^7$Be is embedded into. The new models also show that the L/K electron capture ratio of $^7$Be in Ta has previously been slightly underestimated revising the previous value of 0.070(7) to a new value of 0.0756(20).

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2025

Comprehensive Laboratory Benchmark of K-shell Dielectronic Satellites of Fe XXV-XXI Ions

We report on comprehensive laboratory studies of the K-shell dielectronic recombination (DR) resonances of Fe XXV - XXI ions that prominently contribute to the hard X-ray spectrum of hot astrophysical plasmas. By scanning a monoenergetic electron beam to resonantly excite trapped Fe ions in an electron beam ion trap, and achieving a high electron-ion collision energy resolution of ~7 eV, we resolve their respective KL$n$ satellites up to n'=11. By normalization to known radiative recombination cross sections we also determine their excitation cross sections and that of the continuum with uncertainties below 15%, and verify our results with an independent normalization based on previous measurements. Our experimental data excellently confirm the accuracy and suitability of distorted-wave calculations obtained with the Flexible Atomic Code (FAC) for modeling astrophysical and fusion plasmas.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2025

Signal processing and spectral modeling for the BeEST experiment

The Beryllium Electron capture in Superconducting Tunnel junctions (BeEST) experiment searches for evidence of heavy neutrino mass eigenstates in the nuclear electron capture decay of $^7$Be by precisely measuring the recoil energy of the $^7$Li daughter. In Phase-III, the BeEST experiment has been scaled from a single superconducting tunnel junction (STJ) sensor to a 36-pixel array to increase sensitivity and mitigate gamma-induced backgrounds. Phase-III also uses a new continuous data acquisition system that greatly increases the flexibility for signal processing and data cleaning. We have developed procedures for signal processing and spectral fitting that are sufficiently robust to be automated for large data sets. This article presents the optimized procedures before unblinding the majority of the Phase-III data set to search for physics beyond the standard model.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2024

Measurement of differential collisional excitation cross sections for the K$α$ emission of He-like oxygen

We measure the energy-differential cross sections for collisional excitation of the soft X-ray electric-dipole K$α$ ($x+y+w$) emission from He-like oxygen (O VII), using an electron beam ion trap. Values near their excitation thresholds were extracted from the observed emissivity by rapidly cycling the energy of the exciting electron beam. This allows us to subtract time-dependent contributions of the forbidden $z$-line emission to the multiplet. We develop a time-dependent collisional-radiative model to further demonstrate the method and predict all spectral features. We then compare the extracted $x+y+w$ cross-sections with calculations based on distorted-wave and R-matrix methods from the literature and our own predictions using the Flexible Atomic Code (FAC). All R-matrix results are validated by our measurements of direct and resonant excitation, supporting the use of such state-of-the-art codes for astrophysical and plasma physics diagnostics.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2024

Direct Experimental Constraints on the Spatial Extent of a Neutrino Wavepacket

Despite their high relative abundance in our Universe, neutrinos are the least understood fundamental particles of nature. They also provide a unique system to study quantum coherence and the wavelike nature of particles in fundamental systems due to their extremely weak interaction probabilities. In fact, the quantum properties of neutrinos emitted in experimentally relevant sources are virtually unknown and the spatial extent of the neutrino wavepacket is only loosely constrained by reactor neutrino oscillation data with a spread of 13 orders of magnitude. Here, we present the first direct limits of this quantity through a new experimental concept to extract the energy width, $σ_{\textrm{N},E}$, of the recoil daughter nucleus emitted in the nuclear electron capture (EC) decay of $^7$Be. The final state in the EC decay process contains a recoiling $^7$Li nucleus and an electron neutrino ($ν_e$) which are entangled at their creation. The $^7$Li energy spectrum is measured to high precision by directly embedding $^7$Be radioisotopes into a high resolution superconducting tunnel junction that is operated as a cryogenic sensor. The lower limit on the spatial uncertainty of the recoil daughter was found to be $σ_{\textrm{N}, x} \geq 6.2$\,pm, which implies the final-state system is localized at a scale more than a thousand times larger than the nucleus itself. From this measurement, the first direct lower limits on the spatial extent of the neutrino wavepacket were extracted using two different theoretical methods. These results have wide-reaching implications in several areas including the nature of spatial localization at sub-atomic scales, interpretation of neutrino physics data, and the potential reach of future large-scale experiments.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2023

The helion charge radius from laser spectroscopy of muonic helium-3 ions

Hydrogen-like light muonic ions, in which one negative muon replaces all the electrons, are extremely sensitive probes of nuclear structure, because the large muon mass increases tremendously the wave function overlap with the nucleus. Using pulsed laser spectroscopy we have measured three 2S-2P transitions in the muonic helium-3 ion ($μ^3$He$^+$), an ion formed by a negative muon and bare helium-3 nucleus. This allowed us to extract the Lamb shift $E(2P_{1/2}-2S_{1/2})= 1258.598(48)^{\rm exp}(3)^{\rm theo}$ meV, the 2P fine structure splitting $E_{\rm FS}^{\rm exp} = 144.958(114)$ meV, and the 2S-hyperfine splitting (HFS) $E_{\rm HFS}^{\rm exp} = -166.495(104)^{\rm exp}(3)^{\rm theo}$ meV in $μ^3$He$^+$. Comparing these measurements to theory we determine the rms charge radius of the helion ($^3$He nucleus) to be $r_h$ = 1.97007(94) fm. This radius represents a benchmark for few nucleon theories and opens the way for precision tests in $^3$He atoms and $^3$He-ions. This radius is in good agreement with the value from elastic electron scattering, but a factor 15 more accurate. Combining our Lamb shift measurement with our earlier one in $μ^4$He$^+$ we obtain $r_h^2-r_α^2 = 1.0636(6)^{\rm exp}(30)^{\rm theo}$ fm$^2$ to be compared to results from the isotope shift measurements in regular He atoms, which are however affected by long-standing tensions. By comparing $E_{\rm HFS}^{\rm exp}$ with theory we also obtain the two-photon-exchange contribution (including higher orders) which is another important benchmark for ab-initio few-nucleon theories aiming at understanding the magnetic and current structure of light nuclei.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2021

Experimental and theoretical approaches for determining the K-shell fluorescence yield of carbon

The knowledge of atomic fundamental parameters, such as the fluorescence yields with low uncertainties, is of decisive importance in elemental quantification involving X-ray fluorescence analysis techniques. However, especially for the low-Z elements, the available literature data are either of poor quality, of unknown or very large uncertainty, or both. For this reason, the K-shell fluorescence yield of carbon was determined in the PTB laboratory at the synchrotron radiation facility BESSY II. In addition, theoretical calculations of the same parameter were performed using the multiconfiguration Dirac-Fock method, including relativistic and quantum electrodynamics (QED) corrections. Both values obtained in this work are compared to the corresponding available literature data.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2020

Observation of strong two-electron--one-photon transitions in few-electron ion

We resonantly excite the $K$ series of O$^{5+}$ and O$^{6+}$ up to principal quantum number $n=11$ with monochromatic x rays, producing $K$-shell holes, and observe their relaxation by soft-x-ray emission. Some photoabsorption resonances of O$^{5+}$ reveal strong two-electron--one-photon (TEOP) transitions. We find that for the $[(1s\,2s)_1\,5p_{3/2}]_{3/2;1/2}$ states, TEOP relaxation is by far stronger than the radiative decay and competes with the usually much faster Auger decay path. This enhanced TEOP decay arises from a strong correlation with the near-degenerate upper states $[(1s\,2p_{3/2})_1\,4s]_{3/2;1/2}$ of a Li-like satellite blend of the He-like $Kα$ transition. Even in three-electron systems, TEOP transitions can play a dominant role, and the present results should guide further research on the ubiquitous and abundant many-electron ions where electronic energy degeneracies are far more common and configuration mixing is stronger.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2020

Prototype of an affordable pressure-controlled emergency mechanical ventilator for COVID-19

We present a viable prototype of a simple mechanical ventilator intended as a last resort to ventilate COVID-19 patients. The prototype implements the pressure-controlled continuous mandatory ventilation mode (PC-CMV) with settable breathing rates, inspiration/expiration time ratios and FiO2 modulation. Although safe, the design aims to minimize the use of technical components and those used are common in industry, so its construction may be possible in times of logistical shortage or disruption or in areas with reduced access to technical materials and at a moderate cost, affordable to lower income countries. Most of the device can be manufactured by modest technical means and construction plans are provided.

physics.med-ph↗

arXiv2019

Relativistic electron impact ionization cross sections of carbon ions and application to an optically thin plasma

Aims. Determination of K- and L-shell cross sections of the carbon atom and ions using the modified relativistic binary encounter Bethe (MRBEB) method, a simple analytical scheme based on one atomic parameter that allows determining electron-impact ionization cross sections. The quality of the cross sections calculated with the MRBEB method is shown through: (i) comparison with those obtained with the general ionization processes in the presence of electrons and radiation (GIPPER) code and the flexible atomic code (FAC), and (ii) determination of their effects on the ionic structure and cooling of an optically thin plasma. Results. The three sets of cross sections show deviations among each other in different energy regions. The largest deviations occur near and in the peak maximum. Ion fractions and plasma emissivities of an optically thin plasma that evolves under collisional ionization equilibrium, derived using each set of cross sections, show deviations that decrease with increase in temperature and ionization degree. In spite of these differences, the calculations using the three sets of cross sections agree overall. Conclusions. A simple model like the MRBEB is capable of providing cross sections similar to those calculated with more sophisticated quantum mechanical methods in the GIPPER and FAC codes.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2019

Revisiting the Fe XVII line emission problem: laboratory measurements of the 3s-2p and 3d-2p line-formation channels

We determined relative X-ray photon emission cross sections in Fe XVII ions that were mono-energetically excited in an electron beam ion trap. Line formation for the 3s (3s-2p) and 3d (3d-2p) transitions of interest proceeds through dielectronic recombination (DR), direct electron-impact excitation (DE), resonant excitation (RE), and radiative cascades. By reducing the electron-energy spread to a sixth of that of previous works and increasing counting statistics by three orders of magnitude, we account for hitherto unresolved contributions from DR and the little-studied RE process to the 3d transitions, and also for cascade population of the 3s line manifold through forbidden states. We found good agreement with state-of-the-art many-body perturbation theory (MBPT) and distorted-wave (DW) method for the 3s transition, while in the 3d transitions known discrepancies were confirmed. Our results show that DW calculations overestimate the 3d line emission due to DE by ~20%. Inclusion of electron-electron correlation effects through the MBPT method in the DE cross section calculations reduces this disagreement by ~11%. The remaining ~9% in 3d and ~11% in 3s/3d discrepancies are consistent with those found in previous laboratory measurements, solar, and astrophysical observations. Meanwhile, spectral models of opacity, temperature, and turbulence velocity should be adjusted to these experimental cross sections to optimize the accuracy of plasma diagnostics based on these bright soft X-ray lines of Fe XVII.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2018

Quantum interference in laser spectroscopy of highly charged lithiumlike ions

We investigate the quantum interference induced shifts between energetically close states in highly charged ions, with the energy structure being observed by laser spectroscopy. In this work, we focus on hyperfine states of lithiumlike heavy-$Z$ isotopes and quantify how much quantum interference changes the observed transition frequencies. The process of photon excitation and subsequent photon decay for the transition $2s\rightarrow2p\rightarrow2s$ is implemented with fully relativistic and full-multipole frameworks, which are relevant for such relativistic atomic systems. We consider the isotopes $^{207}$Pb$^{79+}$ and $^{209}$Bi$^{80+}$ due to experimental interest, as well as other examples of isotopes with lower $Z$, namely $^{141}$Pr$^{56+}$ and $^{165}$Ho$^{64+}$. We conclude that quantum interference can induce shifts up to 11% of the linewidth in the measurable resonances of the considered isotopes, if interference between resonances is neglected. The inclusion of relativity decreases the cross section by 35%, mainly due to the complete retardation form of the electric dipole multipole. However, the contribution of the next higher multipoles (e.g. magnetic quadrupole) to the cross section is negligible. This makes the contribution of relativity and higher-order multipoles to the quantum interference induced shifts a minor effect, even for heavy-$Z$ elements.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2016

Laser Spectroscopy of Muonic Atoms and Ions

Laser spectroscopy of the Lamb shift (2S-2P energy difference) in light muonic atoms or ions, in which one negative muon $μ^-$ is bound to a nucleus, has been performed. The measurements yield significantly improved values of the root-mean-square charge radii of the nuclei, owing to the large muon mass, which results in a vastly increased muon wave function overlap with the nucleus. The values of the proton and deuteron radii are 10 and 3 times more accurate than the respective CODATA values, but 7 standard deviations smaller. Data on muonic helium-3 and -4 ions is being analyzed and will give new insights. In future, the (magnetic) Zemach radii of the proton and the helium-3 nuclei will be determined from laser spectroscopy of the 1S hyperfine splittings, and the Lamb shifts of muonic Li, Be and B can be used to improve the respective charge radii.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2015

Quantum interference shifts in laser spectroscopy with elliptical polarization

We investigate the quantum interference shifts between energetically close states, where the state structure is observed by laser spectroscopy. We report a compact and analytical expression that models the quantum interference induced shift for any admixture of circular polarization of the incident laser and angle of observation. An experimental scenario free of quantum interference can thus be predicted with this formula. Although, this study is exemplified here for muonic deuterium, it can be applied to any other laser spectroscopy measurement of $ns-n'p$ frequencies of a nonrelativistic atomic system, via a $ns\rightarrow n'p \rightarrow n"s $ scheme.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2015

Quantum interference effects in laser spectroscopy of muonic hydrogen, deuterium, and helium-3

Quantum interference between energetically close states is theoretically investigated, with the state structure being observed via laser spectroscopy. In this work, we focus on hyperfine states of selected hydrogenic muonic isotopes, and on how quantum interference affects the measured Lamb shift. The process of photon excitation and subsequent photon decay is implemented within the framework of nonrelativistic second-order perturbation theory. Due to its experimental interest, calculations are performed for muonic hydrogen, deuterium, and helium-3. We restrict our analysis to the case of photon scattering by incident linear polarized photons and the polarization of the scattered photons not being observed. We conclude that while quantum interference effects can be safely neglected in muonic hydrogen and helium-3, in the case of muonic deuterium there are resonances with close proximity, where quantum interference effects can induce shifts up to a few percent of the linewidth, assuming a pointlike detector. However, by taking into account the geometry of the setup used by the CREMA collaboration, this effect is reduced to less than 0.2% of the linewidth in all possible cases, which makes it irrelevant at the present level of accuracy.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2015

Relativistic evaluation of the two-photon decay of the metastable ${1s}^{2} 2s 2p~^3\mbox{P}_0$ state in berylliumlike ions with an active-electron model

The two-photon ${1s}^{2} 2s 2p~^3\mbox{P}_0 \rightarrow {1s}^{2} {2s}^2$ $^1\mbox{S}_0$ transition in berylliumlike ions is theoretically investigated within a full relativistic framework and a second-order perturbation theory. We focus our analysis on how electron correlation, as well as the negative-energy spectrum can affect the forbidden $E1M1$ decay rate. For this purpose we include the electronic correlation by an effective potential and within an active-electron model. Due to its experimental interest, evaluation of decay rates are performed for berylliumlike xenon and uranium. We find that the negative-energy contribution can be neglected in the present decay rate. On the other hand, if contributions of electronic correlation are not carefully taken into account, it may change the lifetime of the metastable state by 20\%. By performing a full-relativistic $jj$-coupling calculation, we found discrepancies for the decay rate of an order of 2 compared to non-relativistic $LS$-coupling calculations, for the selected heavy ions.

physics.atom-ph↗