Electron-impact excitation of neon
Abstract
A number of convergent close-coupling and R-matrix with pseudo-state (RMPS) calculations on H-like, He-like, Li-like, and Be-like ions have demonstrated that coupling to the target continuum can have large effects on the electron-impact excitation cross sections of neutral and low-charge species. However, no one has yet attempted such advanced calculations on a system as complex as neutral neon. We report on a series of RMPS calculations of electron-impact excitation of Ne using recently developed parallel Breit-Pauli (BP) R-matrix programs. Our largest calculation was a BP calculation with 235 spectroscopic and pseudo levels in the close-coupling expansion. Although the results of this calculation clearly reveal the importance of coupling to the target continuum in this atom, the pseudo-state expansion is not yet sufficiently complete to provide reliable cross sections for energies above the ionization limit. However, this is the largest BP calculation that can be performed with present computer resources. Thus, we have also carried out a series of RMPS calculations in LS coupling with different pseudo-state expansions. Comparisons of these results have allowed us to determine the approximate size of the pseudo-state expansion required to achieve convergence in future BP calculations for neon.
- Publication:
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APS Division of Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- May 2004
- Bibcode:
- 2004APS..DMP.J1004B