Fe L-Shell Density Diagnostics in Theory and Practice
Abstract
We provide a discussion of the density and photoexcitation sensitivity of the X-ray spectra of Fe L-shell ions (Fe XVII-Fe XXIV) calculated with the Livermore X-ray Spectral Synthesizer, a suite of IDL codes that calculates spectral models of highly charged ions based primarily on HULLAC atomic data. These models are applicable to collisionally ionized laboratory or cosmic plasmas with electron temperatures T_e ~ 2-45 MK (0.2-4 keV) and electron densities n_e > 1E11 cm^{-3}. Potentially useful density diagnostics are identified for Fe XVII and Fe XIX-Fe XXIII, with the most straightforward being the Fe XVII I(17.10 A)/I(17.05 A) line ratio and the Fe XXII I(11.92 A)/I(11.77 A) line ratio. Applying these models to the Chandra X-ray Observatory High Energy Transmission Grating spectrum of the intermediate polar EX Hya, we find that the strength of all the Fe L-shell lines are consistent with electron densities n_e > 1E14 cm^{-3}. Specifically, from the observed Fe XVII I(17.10 A)/I(17.05 A) line ratio, we infer an electron density n_e > 2E14 cm^{-3} at the 3 sigma level, while from the observed Fe XXII I(11.92 A)/I(11.77 A) line ratio, we infer n_e = 1.0^{+2.0}_{-0.5}E14 cm^{-3} at the 1 sigma level and n_e > 2E13 cm^{-3} at the 3 sigma level.
- Publication:
-
X-ray Diagnostics of Astrophysical Plasmas: Theory, Experiment, and Observation
- Pub Date:
- June 2005
- DOI:
- 10.1063/1.1960922
- arXiv:
- arXiv:astro-ph/0412339
- Bibcode:
- 2005AIPC..774..133M
- Keywords:
-
- X-ray sources (astronomical);
- X-ray spectra;
- astrophysical plasma;
- plasma diagnostics;
- plasma collision processes;
- 95.85.Nv;
- 95.30.Qd;
- 52.70.La;
- 52.20.Hv;
- 95.30.Ky;
- X-ray;
- Magnetohydrodynamics and plasmas;
- X-ray and gamma-ray measurements;
- Atomic molecular ion and heavy-particle collisions;
- Atomic and molecular data spectra and spectral parameters;
- Astrophysics
- E-Print:
- 11 pages including 9 encapsulated postscript figures