Atoms

For the control of fusion reactors, we need to accurately know all the possible reactions and collisional cross sections. Although large-scale trials have been performed over the last decades to obtain this data, many basic atomic and molecular cross section data are missing and the accuracy of the available cross sections need to be checked. Using the available measured cross sections and theoretical predictions of hydrogen atom ionization by proton impact, critical analysis of the data is presented. Moreover, we also present our recent classical results based on the standard classical trajectory Monte Carlo (CTMC) and quasi-classical trajectory Monte Carlo (C-QCTMC) models. According to our model calculations and comparison with the experimental data, recom-mended cross sections for ionization of hydrogen were presented in a wide range of pro-jectile impact energies. We found that, while in the low energy region, the experimental cross sections are very close to the C-QCTMC results, at higher energies, they are close to the results of our standard CTMC results. Full article

In this paper, we extensively study the electronic structure, interactions, and dynamics of the (MgCs)⁺ molecular ion. The exchanges between the alkaline atom and the low-energy cationic alkaline earths, which are important in the field of cold and ultracold quantum chemistry, are studied. We use an ab initio approach based on the formalism of non-empirical pseudo-potential for Mg²⁺ and Cs⁺ cores, large Gaussian basis sets, and full-valence configuration interaction. In this context, the (MgCs)⁺ cation is treated as an effective two-electron system. Adiabatic potential energy curves and their spectroscopic constants for the ground and the first 20 excited states of ^1,3Σ⁺ symmetries are determined. Furthermore, we identify the avoided crossings between the electronic states of ^1,3Σ⁺ symmetries. These crossings are related to the charge transfer process between the two ionic limits, Mg/Cs⁺ and Mg⁺/Cs. Therefore, vibrational-level spacings and the transition and permanent dipole moments are presented and analyzed. Using the produced potential energy data, the ground-state scattering wave functions and elastic cross-sections are calculated for a wide range of energies. In addition, we predict the formation of a translationally and rotationally cold molecular ion (MgCs)⁺ in the ground-state electronic potential energy through a stimulated Raman-type process aided by ion–atom cold collision. In the low-energy limit (<1 mK), elastic scattering cross-sections exhibit Wigner law threshold behavior, while in the high-energy limit, the cross-sections act as a function of energy E go as E^−1/3. A qualitative discussion about the possibilities of forming cold (MgCs)⁺ molecular ions by photoassociative spectroscopy is presented. Full article

Stark broadening of Lyman-$\alpha$ of a hydrogen-like atom in the presence of a strong magnetic field is analyzed. The shape of the central ($\pi$) component of the Lorentz–Zeeman triplet is expressed analytically, taking into account the plasma coupling and microfield dynamic effects. It is shown that in a sufficiently strong magnetic field, the broadening of this component, contrary to the broadening of the lateral ($\sigma$) ones, is independent of the magnetic field and, therefore, can be used for the plasma density diagnostics. Comparison with computer simulations at conditions typical for tokamak divertors and white dwarf atmospheres shows a very good agreement. Full article

The concept of dense and hot plasmas can be used to build up powerful and brilliant radiation sources in the soft X-ray and extreme ultraviolet spectral range. Such sources are used for nanoscale imaging and structuring applications, such as EUV lithography in the semiconductor industry. An understanding of light-generating atomic processes and radiation transport within the plasma is mandatory for optimization. The basic principles and technical concepts using either a pulsed laser or a gas discharge for plasma generation are presented, and critical aspects in the ionization dynamics are outlined within the framework of a simplified atomic physics model. Full article

The last decade has seen a rapid growth in our understanding of the microscopic origins of shape coexistence, assisted by the new data provided by the modern radioactive ion beam facilities built worldwide. Islands of the nuclear chart in which shape coexistence can occur have been identified, and the different microscopic particle–hole excitation mechanisms leading to neutron-induced or proton-induced shape coexistence have been clarified. The relation of shape coexistence to the islands of inversion, appearing in light nuclei, to the new spin-aligned phase appearing in $N=Z$ nuclei, as well as to shape/phase transitions occurring in medium mass and heavy nuclei, has been understood. In the present review, these developments are considered within the shell-model and mean-field approaches, as well as by symmetry methods. In addition, based on systematics of data, as well as on symmetry considerations, quantitative rules are developed, predicting regions in which shape coexistence can appear, as a possible guide for further experimental efforts that can help in improving our understanding of the details of the nucleon–nucleon interaction, as well as of its modifications occurring far from stability. Full article

High-spin nuclear isomers in $N\approx Z$ nuclei between doubly magic ${}^{40}$Ca and ${}^{56}$Ni provide an excellent testing ground for the nuclear shell model and questions related to isospin symmetry breaking in the vicinity of the proton drip line. The purpose of the present study is to investigate the possibility of weak electromagnetic decay branches along the decay paths of the 6526-keV ${10}^{+}$ isomer in ${}^{54}$Fe. The isomer was strongly populated by means of the fusion-evaporation reaction ${}^{24}$Mg(${}^{36}$Ar,$\alpha 2p$)${}^{54m}$Fe. The Gammasphere array was used to detect $\gamma$-ray cascades emitted from the isomeric state. By means of $\gamma \gamma \gamma$ coincidences, weak non-yrast decay branches can be discriminated, with the isomer’s half-life confirmed at $T_{1/2}=363\left(4\right)$ ns. The yrast $6_1^{+}\to 2_1^{+}$ $E4$ cross-over transition was interrogated. The observations are compared with shell-model calculations. Full article

Fourteen highly reactive isomers of C₅H and their ionic counterparts have been theoretically investigated using density functional theory (DFT) and coupled-cluster methods. The linear C₅H (l-C₅H) radical, pent-1,3-diyn-5-yliden-1-yl (1), along with its cationic form and the cyclic C₅H (c-C₅H), 1-ethynylcycloprop-1-en-2-yl-3-ylidene (2), have recently been detected in the Taurus Molecular Cloud-1. By using the UCCSD(T)/cc-pCVTZ level of theory, the calculated rotational constants and other spectroscopic parameters are found to be in good agreement with the available experimental data for isomers 1 and 2. Therefore, the current theoretical study may assist synthetic chemists and molecular spectroscopists in detecting other isomers in the laboratory or in the interstellar medium (ISM). Thermodynamically favorable rearrangement schemes for forming low-lying isomers 1, 2, and 3 have also been studied theoretically, and (2λ³-cycloprop-2-en-1-ylidene)ethenylidene (3) with a large dipole moment (μ = 4.73 Debye) is proposed to be a plausible candidate for detection in the ISM. Full article

The ground state and photoionization properties of Na${}_x$ (x = 20, 40, and 92) clusters are investigated using a method based on density functional theory (DFT) in a spherical jellium frame. Two different exchange–correlation treatments with the Gunnarsson–Lundqvist parametrization are used: (i) the electron self-interaction correction (SIC) scheme and (ii) the van Leeuwen–Baerends (LB94) scheme based on the gradient of the electron density. The shapes of the mean-field potentials and bound state properties, obtained in the two schemes, qualitatively agree, but differ in the details. The effect of the schemes on the photoionization dynamics, calculated in linear response time-dependent DFT is compared, in which the broader features are found to be universal. The general similarity of the results in SIC and LB94 demonstrates the reliability of DFT treatments. The study further elucidates the evolution of the ground state and ionization description as a function of the cluster size. Full article

For homogeneous driving, half cycle harmonics and its corresponding half cycle cutoff (HCO) show prominent spectral features, allowing one to produce an isolated attosecond pulse with suitable filtering, or vice versa the retrieval of the driving pulse itself. The temporal profile and spatial dependence of the inhomogeneously enhanced field are two important factors that determine the high harmonic generation (HHG) near a plasmonic nanostructure. This leads us to the question of how the HHG spectra and, in particular, the corresponding half cycle harmonics modify with different types of inhomogeneously enhanced fields. To elucidate this, we have made a comparative study of the HHG in three different types of inhomogeneously enhanced laser pulses by employing the time-dependent Schrödinger equation in one dimension. Within our chosen parameter range, the HCO in cutoff and mid-plateau regimes shift towards higher order with the increase of strength of the inhomogeneity in isotropic case. In anisotropic inhomogeneity, the cutoff HCO shifts towards the higher order but the mid-plateau HCO shifts towards lower order with the increase of strength of inhomogeneity. With increasing carrier envelope phase (CEP), the enhanced HCO in the lower-order harmonic region shifts towards higher orders. This shift is nearly linear from near the above threshold to mid-plateau region and becomes saturated in the near cutoff region. The harmonic spectra is modulo-$\pi$ periodic for the isotropic inhomogeneity and it is modulo-$2\pi$ periodic for the anisotropic inhomogeneity. This extension of periodicity increases the tunability of the enhanced HCO harmonics with CEP in the anisotropic inhomogeneity than the CEP tuning of the HCO harmonics in the isotropic inhomogeneity or vice versa the retrieval of CEP. Full article

We extend the two-centre wave-packet convergent close-coupling approach to doubly differential ionisation in proton collisions with H₂ to intermediate projectile energies. The results for the doubly differential cross section at projectile energies from 48 to 200 keV are presented as a function of the energy and angle of emitted electrons. We consider a wide range of emission angles from 10 to ${160}^{\circ }$, and compare our results to experimental data, where available. Excellent agreement between the presented results and the experimental data was found, especially for emission angles less than ${130}^{\circ }$. For very large backward emission angles our calculations tended to slightly overestimate the experimental data when energetic electrons are ejected and the doubly differential cross section is very small. This discrepancy may be due to the large uncertainties in the experimental data in this region and the model target description. Overall, the present results show significant improvement upon currently available theoretical results and provide a consistently accurate description of this process across a wide range of incident energies. Full article

The dynamic response of a Bell-and-Bloom magnetometer to a parallel (to the bias field) time-dependent field is studied by means of a model that goes beyond the commonly assumed quasi-static regime. The findings unveil features that are related to the parametric nature of the considered system. It is shown that for low-amplitude time-dependent fields, different operating conditions are possible and that, besides the commonly reported low-pass filter behavior, a band-pass response emerges. Moreover, we show that a larger amplitude of the time-dependent field makes the parametric nature of the system appear more clearly in the output signal. A harmonic analysis of the latter is numerically performed to highlight and characterize these emerging features. Full article

Polarons, quasiparticles resulting from the interaction between an impurity and the collective excitations of a medium, play a fundamental role in physics, mainly because they represent an essential building block for understanding more complex many-body phenomena. In this manuscript, we study the spectral properties of a single impurity mixed with identical bosons in a one-dimensional lattice with power-law hopping. In particular, based on the so-called T-matrix approximation, we show the existence of well-defined quasiparticle branches for several tunneling ranges and for both repulsive and attractive impurity-boson interactions. Furthermore, we demonstrate the persistence of the attractive polaron branch when the impurity-boson bound state is absorbed into the two-body continuum and that the attractive polaron becomes more robust as the range of the hopping increases. The results discussed here are relevant for the understanding of the equilibrium properties of quantum systems with power-law interactions. Full article

We investigate the role of vortices in the decay of persistent current states of annular atomic superfluids by solving numerically the Gross–Pitaevskii equation, and we directly compare our results with the ${}^6$Li experiment at LENS data. We theoretically model the optical phase-imprinting technique employed to experimentally excite finite-circulation states in the Bose–Einstein condensation regime, accounting for imperfections of the optical gradient imprinting profile. By comparing simulations of this realistic protocol to an ideal imprinting, we show that the introduced density excitations arising from imperfect imprinting are mainly responsible for limiting the maximum reachable winding number $w_{\max }$ in the superfluid ring. We also investigate the effect of a point-like obstacle with variable potential height $V_0$ on the decay of circulating supercurrents. For a given obstacle height, a critical circulation $w_c$ exists, such that for an initial circulation $w_0$ larger than $w_c$ the supercurrent decays through the emission of vortices, which cross the superflow and thus induce phase slippage. Higher values of the obstacle height $V_0$ further favor the entrance of vortices, thus leading to lower values of $w_c$. Furthermore, the stronger vortex-defect interaction at higher $V_0$ leads to vortices that propagate closer to the center of the ring condensate. The combination of both these effects leads to an increase in the supercurrent decay rate for increasing $w_0$, in agreement with experimental observations. Full article

For the realization of an optical nuclear clock, the first isomeric excited state of thorium-229 (^229mTh) is currently the only candidate due to its exceptionally low-lying excitation energy ($8.338\pm 0.024$ eV). Such a nuclear clock holds promise not only to be a very precise metrological device but also to extend the knowledge of fundamental physics studies, such as dark matter research or variations in fundamental constants. Considerable progress was achieved in recent years in characterizing ^229mTh from its first direct identification in 2016 to the only recent observation of the long-sought-after radiative decay channel. So far, nuclear resonance as the crucial parameter of a nuclear frequency standard has not yet been determined with laser-spectroscopic precision. To determine another yet unknown basic property of the thorium isomer and to further specify the linewidth of its ground-state transition, a measurement of the ionic lifetime of the isomer is in preparation. Theory and experimental investigations predict the lifetime to be 10³–10⁴ s. To precisely target this property using hyperfine structure spectroscopy, an experimental setup is currently being commissioned at LMU Munich. It is based on a cryogenic Paul trap providing long-enough storage times for ^229mTh ions, that will be sympathetically cooled with ⁸⁸Sr⁺. This article presents a concept for an ionic lifetime measurement and discusses the laser-optical part of a setup specifically developed for this purpose. Full article

The exponentially correlated Hylleraas–configuration interaction method (E-Hy-CI) is a generalization of the Hylleraas–configuration interaction method (Hy-CI) in which the single $r_{ij}$ of an Hy-CI wave function is generalized to a form of the generic type $r_{ij}^{{\nu }_{ij}}{e}^{-{\omega }_{ij}{r}_{ij}}$. This work continues the exploration, begun in the first two papers in this series (on the helium atom and on ground and excited $\mathrm{S}$ states of Li II), of whether wave functions containing both linear and exponential $r_{ij}$ factors converge more rapidly than either one alone. In the present study, we examined not only 1$s^2$ ${}^1\mathrm{S}$ states but 1s2p ${}^1\mathrm{P}$ states for the He I, Li II, Be III, C V and O VII members of the He isoelectronic sequence as well. All ${}^1\mathrm{P}$ energies except He I are better than previous results. The wave functions obtained were used to calculate oscillator strengths, including upper and lower bounds, for the He-sequence lowest (resonance) ${}^1\mathrm{S}\to$${}^1\mathrm{P}$ transition. Interpolation techniques were used to make a graphical study of the oscillator strength behavior along the isoelectronic sequence. Comparisons were made with previous experimental and theoretical results. The results of this study are oscillator strengths for the 1$s^2$ ${}^1\mathrm{S}\to$ 1s2$p{}^1\mathrm{P}$ He isoelectronic sequence with rigorous non-relativistic quantum mechanical upper and lower bounds of (0.001–0.003)% and probable precision ≤ 0.0000003, and were obtained by extending the previously developed E-Hy-CI formalism to include the calculation of transition moments (oscillator strengths). Full article

We investigated the enhanced production of nuclei formed via incomplete fusion (ICF) reactions near and above the Coulomb barrier energies (5–8 MeV/A). The cross-sections of the evaporation residues formed in the reactions—${}^{11}$B+${}^{124}$Sn, ${}^{10}$B+${}^{124}$Sn and ${}^{11}$B+${}^{122}$Sn—were measured using off-line gamma-ray spectrometry. The sum rule model (SRM) by Wilczyński et al. predicted the cross-section values too low compared to our experimental results. In earlier studies, the same model has been very successful in explaining ICF reactions at high beam energies (>10 MeV/A). We, therefore, modified the SRM, specifically incorporating the energy dependence in the definition of critical angular momentum ${\ell }_{cr}$. The resulting modified SRM gave an improved theoretical estimate for the reactions we studied. Full article

In this non-exhaustive review, we discuss the importance of invariant vectors in atomic physics, such as the Laplace–Runge–Lenz vector, the Redmond vector in the presence of an electric field, the Landau–Avron–Sivardièrevector when the system is subject to a magnetic field, and the supergeneralized Runge–Lenz vector for the two-center problem. The application to the Stark and Zeeman effects are outlined. The existence of constants of motion in the charge-dyon system is also briefly mentioned. Full article

We report on the simulation of temperature gradients in tamped NaFMgO target-foil plasma, heated and backlit by z-pinch dynamic hohlraum radiation. Our approach compares the spectroscopic output of a collisional-radiative model (prismspect) with soft X-ray absorption spectra collected on Sandia National Laboratories’ (SNL) Z Pulsed Power Facility. The pattern of minimum ${\chi }^2$ is seen to agree with an efficient, three-parameter model. Results show that a negligible gradient in electron temperature $T_e$ is consistent with experimental data, justifying the assumptions of previous work. The predicted sensitivity of line spectra to the gradient-aligned profile of $T_e$ is documented for each spectral feature, so that the line-area ratio between a pair of spectral features may be assessed as a proxy for the existence and quantification of such gradients. Full article