Atomic data and spectral analysis of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen and silicon ions observed with the International Ultraviolet Explorer

According to the plan presented in the original proposal we have now completed most of the atomic calculations involving collision strengths and rate coefficients for electron impact excitation of C II, N III, and O IV ions. These have been reported in the first two publications appended with this report. We have now moved into the applications phase of the project with the new data being used to analyze the International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE) observations of a variety of objects, as described in the third publication recently submitted (also appended). The analysis and interpretation of archival data will continue well into the next year with several collaborators that the PI and Co-PI are involved with. In addition, the atomic calculations on Si II have been started

Electron-Ion Recombination Rate Coefficients and Photoionization Cross Sections for Astrophysically Abundant Elements. VII. Relativistic calculations for O VI and O VII for UV and X-ray modeling

Aimed at ionization balance and spectral analysis of UV and X-ray sources, we present self-consistent sets of photoionization cross sections, recombination cross sections, and rate coefficients for Li-like O VI and He-like O VII. Relativistic fine structure is considered through the Breit-Pauli R-matrix (BPRM) method in the close coupling approximation, implementing the unified treatment for total electron-ion recombination subsuming both radiative and di-electronic recombination processes. Self-consistency is ensured by using an identical wavefunction expansion for the inverse processes of photoionization and photo-recombination. Radiation damping of resonances, important for H-like and He-like core ions, is included. Compared to previous LS coupling results without radiative decay of low-n (<= 10) resonances, the presents results show significant reduction in O VI recombination rates at high temperatures. In addition to the total rates, level-specific photoionization cross sections and recombination rates are presented for all fine structure levels n (lSLJ) up to n <= 10, to enable accurate computation of recombination-cascade matrices and spectral formation of prominent UV and X-ray lines such as the 1032,1038 A doublet of O VI, and the `triplet' forbidden, intercombination, and resonance X-ray lines of O VII at 22.1, 21.8, and 21.6 \ang respectively. Altogether, atomic parameters for 98 levels of O VI and 116 fine structure levels of O VII are theoretically computed. These data should provide a reasonably complete set of photoionization and recombination rates in collisional or radiative equilibrium.Comment: 33 pages, 8 figures, submitted to ApJ

Atomic data from the Iron Project.XLIV. Transition probabilities and line ratios for Fe VI with fluorescent excitation in planetary nebulae

Relativistic atomic structure calculations for electric dipole E1, electric quadrupole E2 and magnetic dipole M1 transition probabilities among the first 80 fine-structure levels of Fe VI, dominated by configurations 3d^3, 3d^24s, and 3d^24p, are carried out using the Breit-Pauli version of the code Superstructure. Experimental energies are used to improve the accuracy of these transition probabilities. Employing the 80-level collision-radiative (CR) model with these dipole and forbidden transition probabilities, and Iron Project R-matrix collisional data, we present a number of [Fe VI] line ratios applicable to spectral diagnostics of photoionized H II regions. It is shown that continuum fluorescent excitation needs to be considered in CR models in order to interpret the observed line ratios of optical [Fe VI] lines in planetary nebulae NGC 6741, IC 351, and NGC 7662. The analysis leads to parametrization of line ratios as function of, and as constraints on, the electron density and temperature, as well as the effective radiation temperature of the central source and a geometrical dilution factor. The spectral diagnostics may also help ascertain observational uncertainties. The method may be generally applicable to other objects with intensive background radiation fields, such as novae and active galactic nuclei. The extensive new Iron Project radiative and collisional calculations enable a consistent analysis of many line ratios for the complex iron ions.Comment: 25 pages, 8 figures, submitted to Astron.Astrophys. Suppl.Se

A Comprehensive Opacities/Atomic Database for the Analysis of Astrophysical Spectra and Modeling

The main goals of this ADP award have been accomplished. The electronic database TOPBASE, consisting of the large volume of atomic data from the Opacity Project, has been installed and is operative at a NASA site at the Laboratory for High Energy Astrophysics Science Research Center (HEASRC) at the Goddard Space Flight Center. The database will be continually maintained and updated by the PI and collaborators. TOPBASE is publicly accessible from IP: topbase.gsfc.nasa.gov. During the last six months (since the previous progress report), considerable work has been carried out to: (1) put in the new data for low ionization stages of iron: Fe I - V, beginning with Fe II, (2) high-energy photoionization cross sections computed by Dr. Hong Lin Zhang (consultant on the Project) were 'merged' with the current Opacity Project data and input into TOPbase; (3) plans laid out for a further extension of TOPbase to include TIPbase, the database for collisional data to complement the radiative data in TOPbase

[O II] line ratios

Based on new calculations we reconfirm the low and high density limits on the forbidden fine structure line ratio [O II] I(3729)/I(3726): lim_{N_ e} --> 0} = 1.5 and lim_{N_ e} --> \infty} = 0.35. Employing [O II] collision strengths calculated using the Breit-Pauli R-matrix method we rule out any significant deviation due to relativistic effects from these canonical values. The present results are in substantial agreement with older calculations by Pradhan (1976) and validate the extensive observational analysis of gaseous nebulae by Copetti and Writzel (2002) and Wang et al (2004) that reach the same conclusions. The present theoretical results and the recent observational analyses differ significantly from the calculations by MacLaughlin and Bell (1998) and Keenan et al (1999). The new maxwellian averaged effective collision strengths are presented for the 10 transitions among the first 5 levels to enable computations of [O II] line ratios.Comment: Submitted to MNRAS (Letters), 4 pages, 2 figures, 1 tabl