Plasma-environment effects on K lines of astrophysical interest

Abstract

Aims. In the context of black-hole accretion disks, we aim to compute the plasma-environment effects on the atomic parameters used to model the decay of K-vacancy states in moderately charged iron ions, namely Fe IX – Fe XVI. Methods. We used the fully relativistic multiconfiguration Dirac–Fock method approximating the plasma electron–nucleus and electron–electron screenings with a time-averaged Debye–Hückel potential. Results. We report modified ionization potentials, K-threshold energies, wavelengths, radiative emission rates, and Auger widths for plasmas characterized by electron temperatures and densities in the ranges 105−107 K and 1018−1022 cm−3. Conclusions. This study confirms that the high-resolution X-ray spectrometers onboard the future XRISM and Athena space missions will be capable of detecting the lowering of the K edges of these ions due to the extreme plasma conditions occurring in accretion disks around compact objects.