Electron-impact excitation cross-section measurements at EBITs from 1986 to 2006

Abstract

This paper reviews the electron-impact excitation (EIE) measurements at electron beam ion trap (EBIT) facilities in the last 20~years. EIE cross sections are important atomic parameters fundamental to understanding the spectroscopic properties of ions. The properties of an EBIT make it an ideal device to measure the EIE cross section of highly charged ions. As a matter of fact, a report of EIE measurement was among the first papers published on the first EBIT ever built, EBIT-I. Since then, a wide range of measurements have been performed for K-shell and L-shell highly charged ions of Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Xe, and Ba using a combination of crystal spectrometers and solid-state X-ray detectors. In the last few years, the measurements were extended to all strong Fe L-shell lines by using a 6 × 6 pixel array microcalorimeter.PACS Nos.: 32.30.Jc, 32.30.Rj, 34.50.Fa, 32.70.Cs