Wavelength-dispersive spectroscopy in the hard x-ray regime of a heavy highly-charged ion: The 1s Lamb shift in hydrogen-like gold

International audienceAccurate spectroscopy of highly charged high-Z ions in a storage ring is demonstrated to be feasible by the use of specially adapted crystal optics. The method has been applied for the measurement of the 1s Lamb shift in hydrogen-like gold (Au 78+) in a storage ring through spectroscopy of the Lyman x rays. This measurement represents the first result obtained for a high-Z element using high-resolution wavelength-dispersive spectroscopy in the hard x-ray regime, paving the way for sensitivity to higher-order QED effects

Electron Spectroscopy in Heavy-Ion Storage Rings: Resonant and Non-Resonant Electron Transfer Processes

Whereas our understanding of total cross sections for ionization and capture processes in ion-atom collisions is widely viewed as having arrived at a state of adequate maturity, the same cannot be said at all about the dynamics of collisions, multi-electron processes or the electron continua (in target and projectile) which are at the origin of total cross sections. We depict how these processes can be studied favourably in storage ring environments. We present examplesof resonant and non-resonant electron transfer processes, radiative and non-radiative. This is elucidated via the relation of the electron nucleus bremsstrahlung at the high energy tip of the bremsstrahlung spectrum to the radiative electron capture cusp (RECC) and a new approach to determining molecular orbital binding energies in superheavy quasi-molecules in resonant KK charge transfer

Crystal optics for hard-X-ray spectroscopy of highly charged ions

A twin crystal-spectrometer assembly, operated in the focusing compensated asymmetric Laue geometry has been developed for accurate spectroscopy of fast highly charged heavy ions in the hard-X-ray region. Coupled to the focusing crystal optics is a specially developed two-dimensional position-sensitive X-ray detector which is necessary for retaining spectral resolution also for fast moving sources. We summarize the crystal optics and demonstrate the usefulness of the instrument for spectroscopy of both stationary and fast moving X-ray sources. Results are reported from several tests employing a ¹⁶⁹Yb gamma-ray source and the Lyman radiation of one-electron Pb⁸¹⁺ ions traveling at a velocity corresponding to β ≡ v/c ≈ 0.59. The features of the instrument presented may be useful in many applications where it appears difficult to make the leap from conventional X-ray energy measurements to wavelength-dispersive spectroscopy based on crystal optics