Polarization transfer in x-ray transitions due to photoionization in highly charged copper-like ions

• Published in: Journal of physics. B, Atomic, molecular, and optical physics Vol. 51; no. 4; pp. 45203 - 45210
• Main Authors: Ma, Kun, Chen, Zhan-Bin, Xie, Lu-You, Dong, Chen-Zhong
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: IOP Publishing 28.02.2018
• Subjects: density matrix theory; linear polarization; multi-configuration Dirac-Fock method; photoionization; polarization transfer
• ISSN: 0953-4075; 1361-6455
• DOI: 10.1088/1361-6455/aaa2ca

Using the density matrix theory and the multi-configuration Dirac-Fock method, the 3 d 3 2 subshell photoionization of highly charged ions is studied, together with their subsequent radiative decay. The effects of polarization transfer on the linear polarization and angular distribution of the 3 d 9 4 s 2 2 D 3 2 → 3 d 10 4 p 2 P 1 2 characteristic line photoemission for selected Cu-like Zn+, Ba27+, W 45 + , and U 63 + ions are investigated. Our results show that the polarization transfer, arising from the originally polarized incident light, may lead to a considerable change in the alignment parameters and the polarization properties of the radiation, the character of which is highly sensitive to the initial photon polarization, yet virtually independent of the photon energy. These characteristics are very similar to those of the electron bremsstrahlung process reported by Märtin et al (2012 Phys. Rev. Lett. 108 264801). The present results are compared with available experimental results and show a good quantitative agreement.