Spectroscopy characteristics and decay properties of plasma-embedded atoms in external electric and magnetic fields

Abstract

This paper describes a computational approach within the framework of relativity theory for explaining the spectral and decay properties of atoms and ions embedded in a plasma and also in the presence of applied external electric and magnetic fields. It uses the configuration interaction approximation and the analytical potential derived from general ion-sphere theory to represent the atomic interactions within the plasma. In the model, the Dirac–Coulomb–Hamiltonian is reconstructed and the effects of the weak electric and magnetic field are treated as small perturbations. The eigenvalues for the orbitals and (radial) wave functions are obtained through the Dirac equations. A diagonalization is performed to include these plasma, electric, and magnetic terms. As an example, an environment with a hot-dense plasma and weak electric and magnetic fields is considered, where the interaction is much weaker than the Coulomb interaction, yet much stronger than the spin–orbit interaction. The atomic structures and spectra of a selected hydrogen atom are presented for a wide range of electron densities, temperatures, and electric and magnetic fields. The behavior of the energy and radiative transitions with respect to these interactions is analyzed in detail. The results obtained from the proposed approach are critically compared with other available results. The present study not only advances our understanding of the electronic structures and radiation characteristics of atomic systems in external fields but may also be relevant for astrophysics and laboratory experiments, especially on the solar corona, laser-produced plasmas, and so on.