Visible spectrum of highly charged ions: The forbidden optical lines of Kr, Xe, and Ba ions in the Ar I to Kr I isoelectronic sequence

Abstract

We present experimental data on visible transitions in highly charged ions observed in the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) electron beam ion traps, including results from lines within the ground-state configuration and the first excited configuration. Measurements of lines produced by Kr (q = 11+ to 22+), Xe (q = 18+ to 35+), and Ba (q = 28+ to 36+) ions, corresponding mainly to 3sl 3pm 3dn configurations, were carried out. The ionization stages were determined experimentally by sweeping the electron beam energy over the ionization threshold of each species. We propose possible identifications for the lines with the help of simple atomic structure calculations. However, most observed lines remained unidentified, demonstrating that the understanding of visible spectra from highly charged ions, even if obtained under nearly "ideal" experimental conditions, is still in its infancy. These spectral data may be useful for the diagnostics of magnetically confined plasmas and may set the stage for future measurements of radiative lifetimes. In our experiments, we used the emission from visible lines to image the intersection of the electron beam with a beam of neutral atoms injected into the trap at a right angle as well as the ion cloud in the trap. Under some conditions, the diameter of the ion cloud may be an order of magnitude larger than that of the electron beam. PACS Nos.: 32.30Jc, 39.30+w, 52.59Rz