Experimental measurement of state-selective charge exchange and test of astrophysics soft X-ray emission model

Abstract

Charge exchange, or electron capture, between highly charged ions and atoms and molecules has been considered as one of important mechanisms controlling soft X-ray emissions in many astrophysical objects and environments. However, to model charge exchange soft X-ray emission, astrophysicists commonly use principal quantum number <i>n</i> and angular momentum quantum number<i>l</i> resolved state-selective capture cross section data, which are usually obtained by empirical and semi-classical theory calculations. The accuracy of the theoretical model is the key to constructing an accurate X-ray spectrum. With a newly-built cold target recoil ion momentum spectroscopy apparatus, we perform a series of precise state-selective cross section measurements on Ne⁸⁺ ions’ single electron capture with He targets, with the projectile energy ranging from 1.4 to 20 keV/u. The experimentally measured Q value spectrum shows that the process of electron captured to state of Ne⁷⁺ with <i>n</i> = 4 is the main reaction channel, and that with <i>n</i> = 3 and 5 are the small reaction channels. Using Gaussian curve to fit the area of each channel on the Q value spectrum and normalizing the area of all channels, we obtain the <i>n</i>-resolved relative state-selective cross section. By comparing the measured relative cross sections with the results calculated by the multichannel Landau-Zener method and molecular Coulomb over-barrier model, significant difference among the strengths of small reaction channels is found. Specifically, the multichannel Landau-Zener method overestimates the contribution of <i>n</i> = 2 channel and <i>n</i> = 3 channel, and underestimates the contribution of <i>n</i> = 5 channel. The molecular Coulomb over-barrier model overestimates the contribution of <i>n</i> = 5 channel and underestimates the contribution of <i>n</i> = 3 channel. The significant difference between the theoretical model calculation and experimental measurement is due to the limitations of semiclassical theoretical method and classical theoretical method. Furthermore, with <i>l</i> distribution models commonly used in the astrophysical literature, including the statistical model, separable model, Landau-Zener-I model, Landau-Zener-II model and even model, we calculate the soft X-ray emissions in the charge exchange between 1.6 and 2.4 keV/u Ne⁸⁺ and He. It is found that the calculated intensities of X-ray spectra significantly deviate from the existing measurements, and only the separable model can partly match the laboratory simulated solar wind charge exchange X-ray measurement. Furthermore, we find that the intensity of the charge exchange X-ray emission spectrum measured experimentally is dependent on the collision energy, while the emission spectrum calculated based on the model seems to be unchanged with the increase of the collision energy. These results indicate that if the classical and semi-classical models are applied to the astrophysical plasma for studying diffusive soft X-ray background, the obtained parameters of the astrophysical plasma will be inaccurate.